MISSED GROUPS
Some of the genes also apparently contribute to blood vessel function and some have unknown roles, the researchers said.
In a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine, Crow noted that the studies all miss the biggest group of people affected by lupus.
"In the major studies, all of the subjects were of European descent, but lupus is most severe in people with African, Asian and Hispanic backgrounds," Crow said in a statement.
"We need to confirm that these same genes are involved in all of our patient populations and identify any distinct genes that might be involved in those populations at greatest risk for poor outcomes."
Timothy Vyse of Imperial College London said the studies might help researchers develop better treatment.
"Lupus is a complex disease, which is hard to diagnose, and it can cause many different and unpredictable problems for patients. Living with lupus can be really tough," Vyse said in a statement.
"We currently can treat the disease by suppressing the immune system, but we urgently need to understand in much more detail what goes wrong with the immune system so that we can design better treatments."
