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Last updated Thursday, December 23, 2004
Causes
We don't know the cause of lupus. Doctors and scientists agree that it is an autoimmune disease. The immune system is your body's natural defense against disease. "Auto" means self. Thus, an autoimmune disease is one that is directed against the body's own tissue.
Under normal conditions, when harmful bacteria invade the body, protective substances in your blood called antibodies develop to fight off the bacteria. In lupus, antibodies may be formed even without the presence of foreign substances like bacteria. These antibodies are called autoantibodies because they attack the body's own tissues. This in turn causes inflammation and injury to body tissues and organs, and may result in the symptoms that people with lupus experience. What triggers the chain of events that leads to this abnormal autoimmune reaction is unknown.
Some studies suggest that certain people may inherit the tendency to get lupus. This conclusion stems from the fact that some new cases of lupus may be more common in a family in which one member already has the disease. However there is no evidence that lupus is directly passed on, for example, from mother to daughter. Some scientists believe that perhaps a virus may trigger the genetic tendency to develop lupus and bring on the symptoms of the disease.
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