People at risk

• Women aged 15 to 40. In this age group, the lupus affects approximately 9 times more women than men. This finding suggests that female hormones play an important role in the onset of lupus. Even outside this age group, women are affected more frequently than men.
• People including a member of the family who have lupus have a slightly increased risk of getting lupus.
• Lupus is more common in certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Native North Americans, and Asians, possibly due to increased susceptibility genetic to disease.

Risk factors

Some pharmaceuticals taken over long periods of time can trigger medicated lupus, and researchers believe that exposure to certain substances, such as pesticides, mercury or silica, also increases the risk of developing lupus¹⁸. In addition, several studies have shown that current or former smoking is associated with an increased risk of lupus.²².