Stress
Stress is taxing not just on the brain but also on the body. Studies indicate that up to 80 percent of patients with lupus reported “uncommon emotional stress” before the disease started. In fact, a recent study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology found that women who experienced trauma and PTSD had a three times greater risk of developing lupus than those who had not.
While no one’s sure why—or if—there’s a connection, some scientists theorize that what causes lupus may be linked to the interplay of stress, which alters the production of naturally occurring steroid hormones and the body’s inability to suppress immune system agents like interferons.
