'Help Us Solve the Cruel Mystery' Bus Stops In Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - They're raising awareness about an autoimmune disease that impacts millions of Americans; many of them African-American and Latino. Thursday, the Lupus Foundation of America brings its "Help Us Solve the Cruel Mystery" bus tour to Detroit.

Foundation President and CEO Sandra Raymond explained the tour's curious name.

"We call it a cruel mystery because it really affects different parts of the body and  symptoms of the disease come and go over time," WWJ Newsradio 950's Pat Sweeting " And those symptoms imitate other illnesses, so it's very, very difficult to diagnose -- and, there is no known cause, no known cure," Raymond said.

Common Lupus symptoms include persistent flu-like symptoms such as fever and  head-aches, sores in your mouth, rash, hair loss and extreme fatigue.

Raymond recommends that anyone experiencing these symptoms talk to their doctor to rule out Lupus.

"For example, painful or swollen joints. Well, when you have swollen joints, I mean that could be arthritis. It could be Rheumatoid Arthritis. It could be Osteoarthritis. It could be Lupus," she said.

Get more information about the tour at this link.