What Causes Lupus & Different Types of Lupus?

What causes lupus? Lupus might be caused by a combination of genetics or the environment, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Some research suggests that people who already have a family history of lupus might develop the disease if they come into contact with something in the environment to trigger it. A disease like this can cause stress that signals your immune system to activate and inflame. Stress can travel the brain and become a vicious reaction to the body with lupus.

So many things can trigger lupus such as:

• UV rays in the sunlight
• Drugs (usually sulfa medication)
• Infection
• Injury
• Stress
• Exhaustion
• A dirty environment
• Not taking proper care of yourself
• Certain foods

Being diagnosed with lupus is a whole different ball game because there are a few types of lupus and it can mimic other diseases really well. The types of lupus are:

1. SLE (Systematic Lupus Erythematosus) – most common form
2. Cutaneous lupus – limited to the skin
3. Drug-induced lupus – caused by a certain disease or drug
4. Neonatal lupus – a rare condition that affects infants

Who gets lupus?

Each person being diagnosed is different. Not everyone's condition is the same, it's just everyone who has the same condition. There are steps to being diagnosed with lupus. I saw my primary doctor who sent me to a dermatologist, who then sent me to a rheumatologist. That doctor ran a blood test and diagnosed me with lupus. When lupus attacks the immune system it can hit the joints, skin, kidneys, blood, heart, and lungs.

Anyone can develop lupus – men and women. Lupus is not contagious it is either induced or hereditary. It can not be transmitted sexually also. But women can give birth to babies and it can be given to children who develop a form of lupus called neonatal lupus, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

What doctors treat lupus?

There are many different kinds of doctors who treat lupus, including:

• Rheumatologist – someone who diagnose and treat in the joints and muscles
• Dermatologist – someone who treats the skin
• Nephrologist – someone who treats the kidneys
• Cardiologist – someone who specializes in the heart

No clear reason why

There is no cure found in lupus but there is treatment. According to Lupus.net, it's found in women ages 15 to 44. It mostly affects people of African American, Asian American, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, or Pacific Islander descent.

Being born from a woman with lupus, I am here to say that sometimes it is possible for your child to also carry the trait – even if it does not show in their blood work or if there is no medical history for the term of their lives. I am the baby of 3 kids by my mom and I am the only one that has lupus and my sisters are normal. So just remember sometimes anything is possible.