Lupus Health Center
Table of Contents
Along with other autoimmune diseases, the underlying cause of lupus is not yet known.
There is evidence to suggest that genes might play a role in who gets lupus. However, genes alone are not the cause. It is likely that there are many factors that trigger the disease.
In studies of identical twins, if one twin had lupus the other twin had a 24 percent chance of also having lupus.
Some factors scientists are considering as possible triggers for lupus are:
- sunlight
- stress
- hormones
- tobacco smoke
- certain drugs
- infectious agents, such as viruses. Research has confirmed that a virus that also causes mononucleosis called Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a cause of lupus in genetically susceptible people.