Systemic lupus erythematosus

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Lupus, discoid - view of lesions on the chest

Lupus, discoid on a child's face

Systemic lupus erythematosus rash on the face

Lupus, discoid on the face

Antibodies

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Alternative Names:

Disseminated lupus erythematosus; SLE; Lupus; Lupus erythematosus

Symptoms:

fever
fatigue
general discomfort, uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise)
weight loss
skin rash - a "butterfly" rash, aggravated by sunlight
sensitivity to sunlight
joint pain and swelling
arthritis
swollen glands
muscle aches
nausea and vomiting
pleuritic chest pain
seizures
psychosis

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

blood in the urine
coughing up blood
nosebleed
swallowing difficulty
skin color is patchy
red spots on skin
fingers that change color upon pressure or in the cold
numbness and tingling
mouth sores
hair loss
abdominal pain
visual disturbance

Signs and tests:

The diagnosis of SLE is based upon the presence of at least four out of eleven typical characteristics of the disease.

Tests to determine the presence of these disease manifestations may vary, but will include some of the following:

antinuclear antibody (ANA) panel including anti-DNA and anti-Smith antibodies, with the latter two tests generally positive in lupus alone
characteristic skin rash or lesions
chest x-ray showing pleuritis or pericarditis
listening to the chest with a stethoscope to reveal heart friction rub or pleural friction rub
urinalysis to show blood, casts, or protein in the urine
CBC showing a decrease in some cell types
kidney biopsy
neurological examination

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

References:

Harris ED, Budd RC, Genovese MC, Firestein GS, Sargent JS, Sledge CB. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 7th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2005.

Noble J. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2001.

Review Date: 7/12/2004
Reviewed By: Stanford Peng, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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