Can Lupus Cause Mental Illness?
Disease of the small blood vessels
Vasculopathy is perhaps the most common cause of various mental problems in lupus. It is thought that chronic inflammation in lupus alters the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, leading to a higher influx of immuno-inflammatory complexes in the brain. Small blood vessels of the brain are especially sensitive to these immune-complexes, leading to their damage, which in return causes mental illness.
