It is for patients. And that means it is a disease where the immune system which is directed toward protecting us from foreign invaders attacks our own cells and tissues. It can involve the entire body. Because the immune system is within the entire body, and involves lots of proteins and cells. The symptoms can be as vague as fatigue and low grade fever, and as specific as inflammation of the heart, lungs and kidneys.
Lupus can be like many other diseases, and as a result is often misdiagnosed.
There is no specific gene associated with lupus. There is a suggestion that the disease can occur within some relatives of the same family, but there is no gene that is tightly associated with the disease. There are some genes, on chromosome six and chromosome one, that have been associated with the illness in families. But the association is not rigid. So for example it would not be like sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy.