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.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
a collagen disease that can involve any organ of the body. When it involves the skin, it appears as disc-shaped, red, scarred patches on the face and scalp. Same as LE.
A disorder of the immune system that causes inflammation of connective tissue.
Inflammatory skin disorder. The exact cause is unknown, but some people appear to have a genetic predisposition to developing lupus, and it is much more common in women than men. Systemic symptoms vary depending on the type of lupus, but red patches on the cheeks are common. When lupus affects the eyes, it can have such symptoms as a red or pink lid, a spot or scale on the lid that may change in pigment (generally losing pigment except for darker color marking the border of the spot), eyelash loss, dry eye syndrome, migraine headaches, uveitis, scleritis, conjunctivitis and retinal vascular occlusion (blockage in the retina's vascular system).
A skin condition implying local degeneration. Discoid is a superficial inflammation generally forming lesions over nose and cheeks. Systemic is a generalized disorder of connective tissue.
an autoimmune disease where the body's own immune system attacks its tissue; may cause a skin rash, arthritis and/or damage to the kidneys and cardiovascular system
An acute form of arthritis that may cause skin rashes and severely damage joints and organs throughout the body.
a condition which can affect the skin and the internal organs where the body makes an error in recognizing its own tissue and falsely perceives it as foreign thereby attacking itself with an immunologic reaction.
I include this because I think this disease may be the origin of werewolf stories. It is a disease that causes arthritis, the knuckles begin to swell, the skin turns brown and leathery, and the victims are sensitive to sunlight, so they can only come out at night. I heard once that a treatment used to be the drinking of blood, but I can't find a reference on this. a disease of the skin that affects women more often than men. Distinct, reddened patches covered with grayish-brown scales may appear on the upper cheeks and the nose, on the scalp, the lips of the lining of the cheeks. In treatment the affected skin is protected against sunlight and other powerful radiation. Among the features that lead to identification of the disease are typical skin lesions, the charactersitic way in which the skin reacts to sunlight, the inflammation of the joints that does not cause deformity.
A usually chronic inflammatory disease that causes abnormalities of blood vessels and connective tissue in various parts of the body.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is potentially debilitating and sometimes fatal as the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission.