What are the Causes of Lupus?
What are the causes of the autoimmune disorder known as lupus? Well, nobody has the answer to that, at this present time. There are no agents that can be pin-pointed as “the cause.” However, there are many symptoms involved, so the thought is that the disease is a result of many factors.
What are the possible factors involved and what are the resulting symptoms? You will discover some of the information as you continue reading.
The overall causes of this immune dysfunction seem to fit into a couple broad categories. It is believed that genetics might be involved and environmental factors. Let look at the factors in a little more detail. Since there seems to be more than one member of a family that contracts lupus, then there might be correlation between genes and lupus. Autoimmune disorders clearly are influenced by inherited genes.
Genetics and the lupus disorder run in families so you would think that something could be ascertained by this fact. But there is no single gene that has ever been identified as a gene for lupus. Yet there does appear to be more than one gene that can contribute to a person acquiring lupus. The possible genes that influence obtaining lupus seem to be acted upon by the environment. The environmental conditions that can trigger an onset of the condition called lupus can also aggravate an existing lupus disorder. What are some of these environmental factors?
Ok, now we will explore each of these possible triggers briefly.
Although research has been done in an effort to link viruses or bacteria as the cause of lupus there is no clear cut connection between an infectious pathogen and lupus. While there does seem to be a connection to lupus and drugs…about 400 different medications that a person could take like an antibiotics or an antidepressant.
However, the particular lupus condition associated with this drug reaction is reversible. The condition only imitates the condition known as SLE or systemic lupus and seems to be acquired by those who are on a long term drug regime. Some of the more common medications that seem to cause the drug induced lupus are:
Procainamide used for treating cardiac arrhythmias
hydralazine used for the treatment of high blood pressure
quinidine used for treating cardiac arrhythmias
The good news is once a person with this form of lupus is removed from the medicine the symptoms usually go away. Not so fortunate are those that might be affected with lupus that is being triggered by stress.
Since stress can mean so many different things to a person based on their beliefs and environment, we will just say that this environmental factor is whatever form of stress that disturbs that person’s balance. Stress can affect a healthy person or a person afflicted with lupus in the same ways or not at all. However, a person who already has lupus could have a flare up, while a healthy person could have the onset of lupus triggered.
Now, what about sunlight. Well, the sun and its UV rays have been known to cause the rash associated with lupus. And UV can even alter DNA in its structure which can lead up to the creation of antibodies that are abnormal and are produced against a person’s own body tissues.
Then there is the ever familiar hormones dilemma. Is it caused by hormones? Women who can still have kids often are affected, that is a fact. Furthermore, women who already have lupus can experience a flare up of lupus just before a menstrual cycle. But the relationship is not truly known. There is a suggestion though that because of the worsening of the lupus prior to menses and the fact that predominately females acquire SLE form of lupus, that hormones do possibly play a very important role. this area is being actively researched in the medical community.
While we are not sure of what the exact causes of lupus are, there is a lot of information to help those that have already acquired lupus in some form or another. There is on going research trying to gain more knowledge about this autoimmune disorders and the immune system. One such research is trying to directly pinpoint an enzyme that is a major player in the disposal of dead cells in our body. If the cells are not disposed of by this enzyme, then this can contribute to SLE.
Still, there is much to be discovered in the realm of autoimmune disorders like lupus and the genetic system.
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