(NewsNation) — Researchers have potentially found the cause of lupus, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature.
Lupus is a chronic, incurable autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system attacks healthy tissue. It affects an estimated 200,000 people in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nonprofit Lupus Foundation of America estimates closer to 1.5 million people are affected.
The study identified a cause of lupus based on molecular defects in patients’ blood.
Before this week, a cause for lupus had not been identified. Experts theorized genetics, environmental factors or immune and inflammatory influences were possible causes, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Treatment for lupus currently relies on immunosuppressants to reduce pain and inflation, but this often doesn’t effectively treat the disease, according to researchers in the study.
The treatment can also lead to side effects that can hinder the body’s ability to stave off infections.
Study co-author Dr. Jaehyuk Choi said in a statement following the study that current treatment for lupus is broad.
“By identifying a cause for this disease, we have found a potential cure that will not have the side effects of current therapies,” Choi said.