A multifactorial disease.
Autoimmunity appears when a predisposition meets triggers in the environment. These are the associated factors research has described.
- Genetics
- HLA and other risk genes
- Sex and hormones
- Most people affected are women
- Infections
- Specific viruses and bacteria
- Drugs
- Drug-induced autoimmunity
- Environment
- Smoking, silica, ultraviolet radiation
- Microbiota
- A growing line of study

