May 3 2016:
Simple answer: no one really knows for sure. A lot of scientists think it’s a magical combination of genetic factors, processes within the body, and something happening in your environment all coming together– but not all the scientists agree on that.
For me, tests show that I have a genetic predisposition towards auto-immune disorders, but a predisposition does not a) guarantee that I will get one, nor b) mean that I would specifically get Lupus. Instead, several doctors have postulated that my exposure to the toxic mold aspergillis alternalia over about 9 months in 10th grade (Year 11) created a trauma to my immune system that acted as a trigger. Upon leaving the mold-filled school, I had an immuno-globulin A count of 42, when normal is between 80-350. Over the next 3 years, my IgA levels rebuilt to 120, but the symptoms of Lupus had already begun. The Lupus had already been triggered. (Of course, I didn’t know it was Lupus for many years yet… check back tomorrow for that story!)
Nobody is yet able to determine a concrete cause for Lupus in anyone, and further scientific study is desperately needed. To learn more about the possible causes, check out this link at the Lupus Foundation of America:
http://www.lupus.org/answers/entry/what-causes-lupusScientific research doesn’t happen without funding (as all my graduate school friends are aware!). If you feel able to donate, I recommend:
The Lupus Foundation of America (for Americans)
Either Lupus UK or The Hibbs Lupus Trust (for Brits)Canadians and other countries: There are Lupus research organisations in your home countries, as well.
I don’t have a huge amount to add to this. I can tell you a little bit more about the mouldy school. It was a public (state) high school in the US, and many, many others got sick, in a lot of different ways. The school became infested with the mould because the roof was installed incorrectly originally, and the school flooded in the first week of school the year it opened. The moisture was never properly cleaned up, and mould grew. It got into the central air circulation systems which were used for heat in the winter and cooling in the summer, effectively spreading the mould around the entire building. There was a class action lawsuit against the construction contractors, the school district board of education who had been hiding reports of poor air quality, and the superintendent of schools. As a result of these suits, the school district eventually did clean up the school, which likely cost them far more to do when they finally did it over ten years after the flood than it would have if they had done the clean-up properly in the first place.
Don’t dismiss that mould in your rental or student accommodation. It could cause lifelong health problems for you, and your landlord should do something about it.
Wondering what’s going on with these posts? Check out my explanation HERE!
This Isolation Life 