Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Scientists Discover Genetic Cause of Lupus, a Chronic Autoimmune Disease

    A recent study published in the journal Nature and discussed in SciTechDaily found that a mutation in the TLR7 gene causes lupus. It is important to note that this is not the only way people get lupus and only makes up a small number of those with lupus, but it helps to make great strides towards treating and curing the disease. This being said, the article explains that many lupus patients seem to have overactivity in the TLR7 pathway. This further confirms the causal connection between TLR7 and lupus. On the other side, underactivity of TLR7 seems to be connected to severe COVID-19 cases. This means it would not be a good idea to simply deactivate the gene or to mutate it to be less active. Another major find as a result of this study is why lupus primarily affects women. The article explains that the TLR7 gene is found on the X chromosome. As a result, women have more of a chance than men to have a mutation in this gene since they have 2 X chromosomes. This stud has helped to shed a lot of light on some causes of lupus and why it affects the demographics it affects.

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