Effect of Pubertal Hormone Changes on Lupus

Determining the role of hormones that differ between the sexes helps us to understand why lupus predominately affects females and why lupus is less common in children than adults. Advances in microarray technology have expanded analysis of gene expression in blood leukocytes, or white blood cells. This study improved our understanding of how puberty affects the functional state of these white blood cells, and the pathways whose function is altered as a child progresses through the orderly series or hormone production in puberty.