High rate of death caused by systemic lupus erythematosus among U. S. residents of Asian descent.

From 1968 through 1976, adjusted annual rates of death from systemic lupus erythematosus, based on National Center for Health Statistics data from the 12 states with most (88%) of the Asian population, were higher for Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos than for whites in the United States. These Asian subgroups had a combined average annual mortality rate significantly higher than that of whites whether Hawaii was included (6.8/million for Asians versus 2.8 for whites) or excluded (6.0 versus 2.8).