MEDIC MAG

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Common virus found in most people can trigger lupus, study reveals
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

13th Nov 2025 - The Independent

​

A common virus that infects most people can trigger the chronic immune system condition lupus, according to a new study.​

​

Nearly 5 million people worldwide suffer from the autoimmune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks the nuclei of their own cells.

​

Lupus damages organs like the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, nerves, with symptoms varying widely among individuals.

​

While most lupus patients can live reasonably normal lives, the autoimmune disease can be life-threatening for about 5 per cent of them. For reasons that remain unclear, nine out of 10 lupus patients are women.

​

Existing treatments help slow down the progression of the disease but don’t cure it. 

​

Now, Stanford University scientists say that the Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, directly prompts a small number of immune system cells to go rogue and trigger a cascading effect whereby immune cells launch a widespread assault on the body.

​

“We think it applies to 100 per cent of lupus cases,” rheumatologist William Robinson said.