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In collaboration with the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, we are studying the possible role of pregnancy in autoimmune diseases. During pregnancy, a mother exchanges cells with her developing child. We are looking at whether the exchange of these cells, in combination with the genetic characteristics of the mother and child, makes a mother more or less likely to develop an autoimmune disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Criteria for enrollment - You have a definite diagnosis of systemic lupus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- You are a mother of at least one biological son or daughter
- He or she is willing to participate and is at least 7 years old (mothers of all ages are eligible)
Participating family members do not need to have SLE or RA to participate What is involved - Complete a questionnaire
- Sign a consent form and medical records release to allow researchers to obtain records relating to the diagnosis and treatment of SLE or RA
- Provide a saliva sample and/or blood sample
- Participating family members will each be asked to complete and return a consent form and brief questionnaire and provide only a saliva sample
Participation is quick and easy and can be completed by mail! You do not have to live in San Francisco to participate in this study. Enrollment paperwork and sample kits are mailed to study participants’ homes so they can complete them at their own convenience and return them to us via mail. There is no cost to participate and all information is kept confidential. We are often asked if/when we will be able to test children to see if they are at risk for developing an autoimmune disease. As of now, not enough is known about the genes involved or the environmental factors that may contribute for us to conduct these types of tests with any accuracy. It is our hope that with continued research, such tests will be one day available.
If you are interested in participating, or if you have any questions, please contact us toll free at 1-888-223-3067x 3 or click here to email us
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