Article: Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that it causes the immune system to attack healthy parts of your body. Again, it mostly affects the organs, such as the brain, skin, kidneys, and joints. The disease is also chronic, which means it lasts for the long-term. It causes the body to become inflamed as the immune system attacks healthy tissue. There is no cure for lupus; however, treatments can ease the symptoms. When people refer to lupus, they usually refer to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This type of lupus affects your skin and your organs, especially your kidneys, lungs, and heart. There are other types of lupus, including cutaneous lupus erythematosus and drug-induced lupus. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus only affects the skin and does not threaten the other organs of your body. It rarely develops into SLE. Drug-induced lupus can affect the skin and your interior organs, but it is induced by the use of specific medications. It usually goes away once those medications are out of the patient's system. The symptoms associated with this form of lupus are typically rather mild. Although it has been difficult for doctors to understand lupus, over time they have identified its characteristics. Lupus appears to be triggered by a combination of your genes and your environment. In other words, if you have a genetic predisposition for lupus, environmental factors can trigger it. Common lupus triggers include medications, infections, or contact with sunlight. Lupus might be triggered by sulfa drugs, drugs that make you more sensitive to sunlight, penicillin, or antibiotics. Physical conditions that can trigger lupus include infections, the common cold, a virus, being exhausted, getting an injury, or emotional duress. It is the ultraviolet rays from sun that can trigger lupus. Ultraviolet rays from fluorescent light bulbs can do the same thing.

What is a summary?
Learn what lupus is. Understand the three primary types of lupus. Identify the causes.