Also known as: SLE, LE, Lupus, disseminated lupus erythematosus, lupus erythematosus

What is it?
Lupus is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that may affect the skin, joints, blood cells, and internal organs, especially the kidneys, heart and lungs. Two of the more common types of lupus are systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and drug-induced lupus. SLE can affect anyone at any time but is about ten times more common in women than men and is most frequently seen in people who are in their early twenties to mid forties. There is an increased incidence of lupus in persons of African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American descent. The cause of lupus is not fully understood. It is thought to involve both an inherited component and a trigger that may be related to environmental factors and/or to hormones. Lupus may co-exist with other autoimmune disorders, such as Sjögren’s Syndrome.

Symptoms and signs of lupus are highly variable and include: muscle pain; arthritis-like pain in one or more joints (but no or little joint damage); a red rash – particularly one resembling a butterfly across the nose and cheeks; fever, persistent fatigue; sensitivity to ultraviolet light; and hair loss. There may also be inflammation and damage to organs and tissues including the kidneys, lungs, heart, lining of the heart, central nervous system, and blood vessels. Kidney disease is a frequent occurrence in patients with lupus. Lupus causes glomerulonephritis, a condition that affects the kidney’s ability to filter toxins, leading to kidney failure. Damage to other organs and tissues can lead to complications including seizures, depression, psychoses or headaches, blood clots leading to strokes, and pulmonary embolisms (blood clot in the lung).

Symptoms of SLE come and go, vary over time, and vary from patient to patient. They may worsen abruptly with flare-ups and then die back down. Flare-ups may be triggered by changes in the patient’s health status, such as physical or emotional stressors and/or by outside stimulants such as exposure to ultraviolet light (many affected persons are sensitive to sunlight). Pregnant women may experience flare-ups during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth and may also have miscarriages.