Yale Lupus and Connective Tissue Disease Bio-Repository / Yale Rheumatology Bio-Repository

The purpose of this study is to create a Yale School of Medicine Section of Rheumatology patient registry and bio-repository of blood samples that will be used for current and future research projects involving the study of systemic lupus erythematosus and other connective tissue diseases and related medical issues. This study may help researchers in the future learn more about how to prevent, find and treat lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other rheumatologic diseases.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eligible individuals will be patients who visit one of the academic Yale Rheumatology clinics or are involved with Yale faculty rheumatologist during a hospital admission in YNHHS for a rheumatology evaluation and have a probable or definite CTD diagnosis. 
• All adults and racial/ethnic backgrounds of male and female patients are eligible to participate in the Yale Rheumatology Bio-repository. 
• Pregnant women will be eligible to participate. 
• Participants must be competent to give informed consent. 
• A Yale faculty rheumatologist in good standing with the University will determine eligibility into the study. Ultimately, the PI and/or co-PI will make the final decision of eligibility for any potential research subject. 
• An individual will be eligible to be a control subject if his/her age is 18 years or older.

The exclusion criteria for healthy controls are: 

1. a diagnosis of a CTD, 
2. or a potential immune compromised state, for example individuals who take immunosuppressive drugs or a disease potentially affecting the immune system including infection, cancer, asthma, immunodeficiency, autoimmunity and diabetes will be excluded.