What causes lupus erythematosus?
Lupus is a form of autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against the body parts that it is required to protect. The common initial and chronic complaints are fever, malaise, joint pains, fatigue and temporary loss of cognitive abilities. The most common causes of lupus are genetics, connective tissue diseases and drug-induced lupus erythematosus.
The skin manifestations of lupus erythematosus are the result of inflammation in the skin that is primarily mediated by inflammatory cells called T lymphocytes. How and why these T cells are activated to cause disease is still unclear. Contributing factors include a genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Genetic factors – These genes encode proteins that are important in controlling the immune system and in fighting infection. Ultraviolet light is an environmental factor that can have an adverse effect both on skin lupus and systemic lupus erythematosus. It is thought that ultraviolet light can increase cell death in the skin and thereby boost the immune response to self. Ultraviolet light can also alter the responses of the immune system itself to antigens.
