Researchers believe that family history and environment have something to do with developing the problem. A family member can pass on a tendency toward lupus and then factors in your environment can affect that tendency. In rare cases, a mother can pass the lupus antibodies to her child during pregnancy creating a condition called neonatal lupus.
Neonatal lupus is a type of autoimmune disease, meaning that your baby's body is allergic to itself. You do not need to have any signs or symptoms of an autoimmune disease in order to pass along the trait. Environment may also be a factor. Research also suggests that the virus that causes mononucleosis can cause lupus in people who are genetically predisposed to it.