Genes
No gene or group of genes has been proven to cause lupus. Lupus does, however, appear in certain families, and when one of two identical twins has lupus, there is an increased chance that the other twin will also develop the disease. These findings, as well as others, strongly suggest that genes are involved in the development of lupus. Although lupus can develop in people with no family history of lupus, there are likely to be other autoimmune diseases in some family members. Certain ethnic groups (people of African, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Island descent) have a greater risk of developing lupus, which may be related to genes they have in common.
Environment
While a person’s genes may increase the chance that he or she will develop lupus, it takes some kind of environmental trigger to set off the illness or to bring on a flare. Examples include:
* ultraviolet rays from the sun
* ultraviolet rays from fluorescent light bulbs
* sulfa drugs, which make a person more sensitive to the sun, such as: Bactrim® and Septra® (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole); sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin®); tolbutamide (Orinase®); sulfasalazine (Azulfidine®); diuretics
* sun-sensitizing tetracycline drugs such as minocycline (Minocin®)
* penicillin or other antibiotic drugs such as: amoxicillin (Amoxil®); ampicillin (Ampicillin Sodium ADD-Vantage®); cloxacillin (Cloxapen®) » Continue reading Causes of lupus – systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) »
Mixed connective tissue disease, as first described in 1972, is “classically” considered as an “overlap” of three diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis. Patients with this pattern illness have features of each of these three diseases. They also typically have very high quantities of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and antibodies to ribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP) detectable in their blood. The symptoms of many of these patients eventually evolve to become dominated by features of one of three component illnesses, most commonly scleroderma.
It is now known that overlap syndromes can occur that involve any combination of the connective tissue diseases. Therefore, for example, patients can have a combination of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (hence, the coined name “rhupus”).
How is mixed connective tissue disease diagnosed?
Today, true mixed connective tissue disease is diagnosed when patients demonstrate the clinical features (exam findings) of overlap illnesses (as described above) and have high amounts of the antibodies ANA and anti-RNP in their blood. Mixed connective tissue disease patients do not typically have antibodies such as dsDNA, Scl70, which are particularly common in systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma respectively. » Continue reading What is mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)? »
For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, depression further increases their already elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, researchers said here.
In these patients, depression was associated with a nearly four-fold greater risk of subclinical atherosclerosis (OR 3.85, 95% CI 1.37 to 10.87), Carol Greco, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, reported at the meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
This relationship was independent of several other factors, including age, presence of hypertension, years of education, C-reactive protein levels, and waist-to-hip ratio. » Continue reading Depression and Cardiovascular Disease Linked in Patients with Lupus »
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