Some people have remissions which last for several vears. Lupus is usuallv a mild disease which occasionally leads to serious problems. Most people with lupus can live a normal life providing they take sensible precautions and control the worst aspects of the disease through proper treatment. In New Zealand lupus is 3 - 4 times more common amongst New Zealand Maori and Pacific Island peoples. The simple answer to that is we don't know.
Some people seem to inherit the tendency to get a disease like lupus.
Research suggests that an unidentified virus may help to bring the disease on. A few drugs taken for conditions like high blood pressure. Exposure to sunlight seems to trigger lupus in some people. The first symptoms of lupus are very vague and are often like having the flu all the time. Every person with lupus is different and symptoms can vary a great deal from person to person.