Definitions for "Lupus erythematosus"
An autoimmune disease that can attack virtually any organ in the body, including the skin. LE is extremely heterogeneous, meaning that this same disease process can cause a totally different set of problems from one patient to the next. Since LE was first recognized by its destructive skin changes (caused by what we now recognize as discoid lupus erythematosus), doctors in the 1800s named it "lupus (wolf) erythematosus (red)" -- as if a wolf had chewed on the skin causing it to have a reddened appearance.
(LOO pus ERR ih THEM ah TOH sis): An autoimmune disorder in which a variety of skin lesions appear.
An inflammatory disease of connective tissues believed to be caused by a defect in the body's immune system, in which the body attacks its own normal tissues.