Still, much remains to be learned.

Among the questions researchers are trying to answer are:

Verywell / Dennis Madamba

What Is Lupus?

A group of proteins called complement proteins have an important clean-up job after your immune system launches an attack.

Prevalence of Lupus in Families - Illustration by Dennis Madamba

Verywell / Dennis Madamba

Another monogenic cause is a mutation in a gene called PRKCD (for protein kinase C delta).

A few other known mutations are believed to cause monogenic lupus.

No matter the cause, the end result is autoimmune activity against the organs.

In part, that belief is based on findings in identical twins.

Types of Lupus

SLE is by far the most common bang out of lupus.

Others include:

Lupus nephritis isnt a pop in of lupus.

Rather, its a complication of SLE that involves kidney disease.

Prevalence in Families

Lupus does have a tendency to run in families.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America:

However, lupus isnt generally inherited directly.

Lupus nephritis involves kidney damage and inflammation, and it can lead tokidney failure.

In addition, Black people tend to develop SLE at an earlier age and have more neurological symptoms.

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