Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, also called lupus or SLE, is an autoimmune (anti-self) disease that affects joints, muscles, and other organs. This condition can cause inflammation and chronic symptoms. It can go into cycles of flare-ups and remissions. About 70% of lupus sufferers have systemic disease, affecting internal organs, as well as skin and joints. The remaining third of lupus patients present only symptoms of skin and joint involvement (non-systemic).

There are other forms of lupus. One is called cutaneous or discoid lupus (about 15% prevalence) and also drug-induced lupus (10%). Discoid lupus is often a chronic disease of the skin and not associated with other organs. Drug-induced lupus occurs as a reaction to certain drugs, and symptoms usually go away after stopping the drug. About 5% of people have overlap or mixed syndromes with other rheumatic diseases, and may not fit into the traditional criteria for lupus.

The cause of lupus is not clearly established, but it appears to be an autoimmune disease, in which the patient’s body fights off its own cells (that are connective tissue, such as those encasing the kidney) with autoantibodies (those that attack self rather than foreign sites). A positive antinuclear antibody test is found in over 90% of SLE cases, but it can also occur in healthy people and the elderly people without being responsible for any serious disease. Lupus is 8-10 times more prevalent in women vs. men. It is more common in African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians than in Caucasians. It appears to be more common in families with a history of lupus, but there is no evidence that the disease is directly passed on from parent to child.

There are eleven main symptoms or indicators that help your physician diagnose lupus. These are:  

1) Malar rash.

2) Discoid rash.

3) Photosensitivity.

4) Mucosal ulcers.

5) Arthritis.

6) Serositis (fluid around heart, lungs, abdomen).

7) Kidney problems, such as protein in urine and swollen extremities from fluid retention.

8) Central nervous system problems.

9) Blood problems, such as leukopenia (drop in WBC count), anemia (low RBC count), or thrombocytopenia (low platelets).

10) Immune system problems.

11) A positive antinuclear antibody test.

The presence of four or more of these eleven symptoms makes the diagnosis of lupus likely. Other symptoms exist, and include fatigue, fevers, weakness, weight loss, and Raynaud’s phenomenon, as well as muscle aches, swollen glands, decreased appetite, hair loss and abdominal pains. About 10 - 15 % of patients with lupus have Sjogren’s syndrome, a chronic disorder characterized by dryness of the mouth, lips, skin, and other areas as well as arthritis.

Treatment of SLE includes corticosteroids, NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), COX-2 inhibitors, hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, and other antirheumatic drugs.

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