The Priory Rooms is proud to support the charity Lupus UK in their Awareness Month this October. Better awareness of Lupus is needed in the UK to reduce the delay in diagnosis.

Throughout October The Priory Room’s Atrium will have a display of booklets and posters from Lupus UK explaining the symptoms of Lupus, with advice and support for patients living with the illness. There will also be items to purchase, bookmarks, badges and car stickers to make a donation towards the charity’s work.

A recent survey by Lupus UK of over 3,000 people showed that the average number of years between somebody experiencing their first symptom and receiving a diagnosis of lupus is 7.5 years. During this time patients are unlikely to receive the necessary treatment to lessen the impact of the main symptoms and to limit potential damage to the kidneys, heart, lungs or brain.

Lupus is an illness of the immune system, the body’s defence mechanism begins to attach itself through an excess of antibodies in the blood stream, causing inflammation and damage in the joints, muscles and other organs.

Lupus UK is currently campaigning with the Primary Care Rheumatology Society and The Royal College of General Practitioners to increase awareness amongst GPs. The Priory Rooms are supporting this campaign and hope visitors to the conference venue learn valuable information about the illness which may be life-changing for themselves or others!

The Priory Rooms’ conference co-ordinator Hannah Baynes, who has a family member with Lupus, is delighted the charity are raising awareness, “Sadly I have seen the discomfort Lupus symptoms can cause when they are not being treated. The quicker a GP can spot the signs and diagnose the illness the better, because with the correct treatment patients can live their lives more fully!”

All throughout October The Priory Rooms will be fundraising and raising awareness for Lupus UK in our Atrium. For more information about Lupus UK’s Awareness Month and the illness, please visit their website http://www.lupusuk.org.uk/