There is no way to predict who will get lupus and who won't. Women of childbearing age comprise the vast majority of cases, and the disease occurs more frequently in African-Americans, American Indians and Asians than in Caucasians. Lupus seems to result from a combination of genes and environment. Experts think people may inherit a predisposition to developing lupus, but not lupus itself. People who inherit this predisposition may develop the disease after they come in contact with something that triggers it, such as a virus or medication.