What is the difference between skin lupus and lupus?
The Difference Between Discoid Lupus and Systemic Lupus Lupus erythematosus (LE) diseases fall on a spectrum—discoid lupus is at one end and systemic lupus is at the other. Although discoid lupus is more benign than systemic lupus, skin symptoms tend to be more severe in DLE.
What is skin lupus caused from?
Skin lupus, is an autoimmune skin disease that occurs when your immune system attacks healthy skin cells by mistake and damages your skin. This can cause redness, itching, pain and eventual scarring of the skin.
Can skin lupus be cured?
Treatments help to control the disease, but there is no permanent cure for skin lupus, so it is important to see your physician regularly.
What are the side effects of skin lupus?
Cutaneous lupus (skin lupus) can cause irritating and unsightly rashes. Untreated, these rashes can cause long-term damage, such as permanent hair loss, scarring and skin discoloration. Some types of cutaneous lupus can develop into skin cancer.
Can you just have skin lupus?
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation throughout the body, including the skin. But one form of SLE, called cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) affects just your skin, without other lupus symptoms.
Can you have skin lupus without having lupus?
Cutaneous lupus is sometimes diagnosed in people who have systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disorder that affects joints and organs throughout the body. However, people can develop cutaneous lupus without ever being diagnosed with systemic lupus.
What does the beginning of a lupus rash look like?
Many people with lupus experience a red or purplish rash that extends from the bridge of the nose over to the cheeks in a shape that resembles that of a butterfly. The rash may be smooth, or it may have a scaly or bumpy texture. It can look like a sunburn. The medical term for this type of rash is a malar rash.
What is lupus rash like?
The rash associated with acute cutaneous lupus appears in a recognizable butterfly pattern that spreads across the nose and cheeks. This rash is flat, red, and itchy, and it usually appears after sun exposure. Occasionally, a rash may appear on other parts of the body, such as the arms and legs.
What does a lupus rash look like on arms?
Ring-shaped rash In people with subacute cutaneous lupus (SCLE), the rash looks like scaly red patches or ring shapes. This rash usually appears on parts of the body that are exposed to sun, such as the arms, shoulders, neck, chest, and trunk.
What doctors specialize in lupus?
Typically, lupus is treated by rheumatologists . Rheumatologists are internists or pediatricians (or both) that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles, and bones, as well as certain autoimmune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
What is the prognosis for lupus patients?
The ‘prognosis’ of Lupus usually refers to the likely outcome of Lupus. The prognosis of Lupus may include the duration of Lupus, chances of complications of Lupus, probable outcomes, prospects for recovery, recovery period for Lupus, survival rates, death rates, and other outcome possibilities in the overall prognosis of Lupus.
How do you care for lupus?
Seek medical care for lupus if you have rapid swelling of one of your extremities, fever over 102 F, or acute abdominal pain or chest pain. Lupus treatment may incorporate NSAIDs, antimalarial drugs, steroids, immune-suppressing agents, and other medications depending upon the symptoms and signs you are experiencing.
What is the treatment for systemic lupus?
Treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is guided by the individual patient’s manifestations. Fever, rash, musculoskeletal manifestations, and serositis generally respond to treatment with hydroxychloroquine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), and steroids in low to moderate doses, as necessary, for acute flares.