Lupus erythematosus

Lupus erythematosus (also known as systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE) is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies are created against the patient's own DNA. It is named for the Latin lupus, meaning "wolf," due to the butterfly-shaped rash that the disease classically creates on the cheek which medieval people believed to resemble a wolf bite.

Prognosis

In the 1950s, most patients diagnosed with SLE lived less than five years. Advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved survival to the point where over 90% of patients now survive for more than ten years and many can live relatively asymptomatically. The most common cause of death is infection due to immunosuppression as a result of medications used to manage the disease. Prognosis is normally worse for men and children than for women and if symptoms are present after age 60, the disease tends to run a more benign course.

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