FAQ - Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid
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What types of cell surface protein malfunction cause Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Cystic Fibrosis?


This site will have answers to all of your questions!

http://www.medicinenet.com/systemic_lupus/article.htm#1whatis  (+ info)

why is the butterfly rash in systemic lupus erythematosus was called such?


other than being shaped like a butterfly, are there any other mechanisms on why this butterfly-like appearance or rashes becomes visible on the affected patients? I hope you could help me. thanks!
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Only 30% of patients with lupus have a butterfly rash.
Since Lupus is a system disease, meaning inside. Lupus can affect kidneys, joints, blood etc. As eczema it's an autoimmune disease.
I know I'm off topic....
The butterfly rash will get worse with sunlight as most lupus patients are photosensitive, like having sensitive skin, it'll act like a sunburn.
It's an anti-inflammatory action of the body.  (+ info)

What to do with discoid lupus?


Anyone out there know what can relieve the pain and itch of the welt marks caused by the sun? I have discoid lupus and have tried just about everything and nothing seems to work. Other than completely avoiding the sun, that is. I get a rash on my arms and face just from driving in the car.
I understand what to do to avoid getting the lesions..... but what is there to relieve them if I get them anyway? Like if I remember sunscreen everywhere else but the upper part of one arm for example. Which, I did in fact just do!
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Your doctor should be able to help. I end up taking predisone and plaquenil when I flare up from the sun, but a good moisurizer for sensitive skin works at relieving the itch.

I get a rash from being in the car too - even with long sleeves on, because even the heat can set me off... but it usually goes away fairly quickly. ( I have SLE as well - and if the sun doesn't get me, the heat does) I'll put on a soothing lotion, and then sometimes hold a cold wet washcloth to the area - which quietens it down some.
There's no way that you can ever completely avoid the sun, so ask your pharmacist about something for the rash you get.

I know this isn't much.... but I hope it helps !  (+ info)

Can Systemic lupus erythematosus appear in teens?


im 13, and i have some odd things going on with my body. I sometimes get a burning, tingling sensation in my arm and legs, my face gets hot easy, i get really light head and have rainbow flashes in my eyes, and feel my pulse in parts of my body (as a heavy, uncomfortable beating). i look up my "symptoms" and lupus came up. im scared i have it. could lupus appear in teens? if not then what could i have?
Well, i probably should have mentioned i have depression and severe anxiety, but the flashes in my eyes im still worried about. Maybe low blood pressure?
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Yes, lupus is often diagnosed in teenagers. My wife was diagnosed at age 15 and my daughter was diagnosed at 13. However, they actually exhibited signs of Lupus whereas the signs/symptoms you are talking about really aren't specific to Lupus. You need a complete evaluation by a doctor.  (+ info)

Does anyone else have trouble convincing their doctor that discoid lupus is a delibitating illness?


I was diagnosed with DL fifteen years ago and at first it was bearable though embarrassing. Now as I reach 50.. I find more significant symptoms developing, only to be ho-hahed by the doctor who says it's just.."getting older".
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Approximately 90% of individuals with discoid lupus have only skin involvement as compared to more generalized involvement in systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE). Discoid lupus occasionally (1–5%) develops into SLE.  (+ info)

Why hydroxychloroquine is said to be very effective in treating Systemic Lupus Erythematosus?


Antibodies "tag" your healthy cells as if they were invaders. Macrophages come and attach to the tag and try to destroy your healthy cells. Hydroxychloroquine changes the ph on the cells which interrupts the errant immune response.  (+ info)

what is the treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus?


some say there is no treatment for it, Is it true?
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Hi

All the answers so far are giving you the correct answer. Our usual first treatment is anti malarials which calm the immune system, after that we may progress to steroids if the anti malarials don't work and after that more agressive treatment is chemotherapy.

Lupus can be controlled or at least helped by diet & exercise. We clinically trialled the low GI diet with much success - lots on the web about that - and also exercise - whatever you feel you can do. I personally have systemic lupus and control mine with the low gi diet and exercise (I go to the gym) and I take no drugs whatever.

If you have more questions please feel free to contact our nurse online who can help.

http://lupus.org.uk/onlinenurse.htm  (+ info)

How can something like this discoid lupus be in the intugmentary(skin) and not be in the system ? is the skin?


not a part of our whole and including , blood vessels, veins lymph ( the skin is a living organ too) Dr's please ansewer this for me signed worried. Plaqnil is the Tx of choice I ve been given , but other symptoms that affect my eyes and liver also manifest.
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Lupus is a disorder of the immune system. It affects different patients in different ways. It can also change over time in the very same patient.

When UVA and UVB light hit the skin, they alter the DNA in the cells at the surface. Lupus patients make an antibody to this altered DNA. Normal people just wrinkle or get skin cancer over time. We get rashes. When the "allergic" reaction starts it can cause rashes all over the place.

When antibodies label something as an invader, the immune system kicks in. If the antibodies label the wrong thing, the immune system will try to destroy whatever is labeled. The other immune cells notice the "label" and surround the target, releasing chemicals to digest it and causing the formation of huge molecules called immune complexes. The chemicals cause inflammation which causes rashes, inflammation and pain.

The immune complexes or garbage are supposed to be processed in the spleen. Our immune "garbage" carriers are also confused and a tad bit lazy. They dump the complexes wherever they want. When the immune complexes get dumped somewhere else in the body-joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, skin, etc. They cause more pain, inflammation and damage.

Plaquenil interrupts the process of cells surrounding the targets by changing the Ph on the surface. Plaquenil is a drug that lupus patients stay on for life if they have no bad side effects. It's not like taking an ibuprofen and a headache going away. Plaquenil must be maintained in order to do its work.

You do not say what your eye and liver problems are. Liver problems can be caused by many things-lupus, medications, other disease. Lupus can affect the eyes, and so can plaquenil. Very rarely, patients get what is called chloroquine retinopathy. If you get your eyes checked every six months and have a "field of vision" test you will be fine. The chances are very small that plaquenil will cause damage. If it does, the damage is very, very slow. The six month eye exam will pick it up. If you stop the drug, you stop the damage.  (+ info)

What is the difference between lichen planus (LPP)& lupus erythematosus (LE)?


I would also like to know what is blaschkoid LE. are both LP & BLE autoimmune diseases ? What are the remedies ?
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More detailed info can be found at: http://www.maxillofacialcenter.com/BondBook/mucosa/lichenplanus.html

Lichen planus is a lichenoid autoimmune mucositis with a clinically different but microscopically similar dermal counterpart. On the skin the disease is usually of shorter duration, approximately 3 years, and does not have the ulcerating and blistering effects seen frequently in oral lesions. In the mouth lichen planus has several clinical variants with considerable cross-over between variants, and with occasional shifting from one variant to another. Some of these variants are thought to represent an elevated cancer risk but there is ongoing debate as to the validity of this hypothesis.

Some cases have obvious etiologic associations, usually a systemic medication or mucosal contact with dental materials or certain spices, but the etiology in most cases remains unknown. There is no strong association between oral and dermal lesions and most persons with oral involvement never have skin involvement. Oral lichen planus can be found in 1/1,000 adults (Table 1).

Discoid and systemic lupus erythematosus may present with oral keratotic and ulcerative lesions which are clinically identical to lichen planus and show a strong histopathologic similarity as well. Elongated, thin rete ridges are more likely to be associated with lupus, as is deep extension of the subepithelial lymphocytic band, especially with lymphoid aggregates present. Rete hyperplasia in lupus may, in fact, be so extensive that dyskeratosis occurs and the epithelium takes on the localized appearance of pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. Thickened or degenerated endothelium with perivascular infiltrates is, of course, very helpful for the identification of lupus vasculitis, but these changes are often missing in oral examples. Cutaneous lupus lesions usually show a positive IgG and IgA reactivity along the basement membrane, and a patchy band of complement reactivity may be seen on immunofluorescence. Circulating anti-nuclear antibodies may also be present in cases of systemic disease, but an extensive discussion of the extraoral characteristics of lupus is beyond the scope of the present chapter.

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus is the final lesion to differentiate from oral lichen planus. Extremely rare in the mouth, this typically genital mucositis may be clinically indistinguishable from oral lichen planus. The epithelium is uniformly atrophic, often extremely so, and only a thin layer of surface keratin is seen. There is typically extensive subepithelial fibrosis or hyalinization and a lesser inflammatory infiltrate is noticed; the infiltrate is often separated from the epithelium by a hyalinized band. Subepithelial hyalinization is also a feature of systemic sclerosis or scleroderma, amyloidosis and oral submucous fibrosis. Congo red birefringence and thioflavin T fluorescence can help to rule out amyloidosis, but differences in clinical features may be needed to rule out the other disorders.


There is no cure for this disease and therapy is only palliative. Fortunately, oral lichen planus lesions wax and wane, and are typically asymptomatic. For those patients suffering from tenderness and sensitivity to acidic foods, topical or systemic prednisolone is usually effective but should be used sparingly because of the potential systemic side effects. Persons affected with oral lesions seldom develop skin lesions, although the clinician should be on the lookout for evidence of lupus erythematosus during follow-up examinations, especially in patients with arthritic joint pains.

For patients with atrophic or ulcerative or bullous forms of the disease, an examination for early oral cancer should be performed every 4-6 months. This follow-up may entail repeat biopsies of areas of unhealing ulceration, induration or deep erythema. The estimated risk of malignant transformation, if real, is less than 2% over a 10 year period. Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus of the mouth carries no malignant potential, as it does in the genital region.

2nd part of your question:

Widespread Blaschkoid lichen planus by
Heather A Klein MD, Richard A Krathen MD, Sylvia Hsu MD
Dermatology Online Journal 12 (7): 17:

this info can be found here: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/127/case_presentations/blashkoid/klein.html

Lichen planus is a cutaneous and mucous-membrane disorder of unknown etiology characterized by pruritic, planar, polygonal, purple papules that upon close examination have a white lacy reticular surface. Several variants have been described, including linear lichen planus sometimes following Blaschko lines. Blaschko lines, distinct from Voight lines, Langer lines, and the lines of innervation of the spinal nerves, follow a V-shape on the back, an S-shape on the abdomen, an inverted U-shape on the upper chest, and a linear pattern down the front and back of the lower extremities [1]. Long et al. reported linear lichen planus following Blaschko lines, as in our patient [2]. This patient's lesions were not confined to one side of the body, but rather began on the right side of the chest and spread to the trunk, arms, left thigh, left foot, and third finger of both hands.

This patient was given a 3-week course of prednisone 40 mg daily with clinical and symptomatic improvement, at which time the patient was tapered off prednisone over the next few weeks.

Blaschko's lines, also called the Lines of Blaschko, are an extremely rare and unexplained phenomenon of human anatomy first presented in 1901 by German dermatologist Alfred Blaschko. Neither a specific disease nor a predictable symptom of a disease, Blaschko's lines are an invisible pattern built into human DNA[citation needed]. Many inherited and acquired diseases of the skin or mucosa manifest themselves according to these patterns, creating the visual appearance of stripes.

The cause of the stripes is thought to result from mosaicism; they do not correspond to nervous, muscular, or lymphatic systems. What makes them more remarkable is that they correspond quite closely from patient to patient, usually forming a "V" shape over the spine and "S" shapes over the chest, stomach, and sides.  (+ info)

Hi, is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus considered a dread disease?


What determines whether a disease is considered a dread disease?
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Hi Im Chris, Im not sure what you mean by a dread disease, but Im going to take it in meaning as a terminal/deadly disease. I have Lupus, have had it 20 years. Yes there is a small percentage of people who die from it. Usually those who have severe kidney, heart, or Lung involvment that is irreversable. But the percentage is mabe 5%. For most of us we live pretty close to a normal life expctancy. I have a pretty moderate and at times it can be severe. Last year it attacked my brain and I spent about 6 months or a bit more fighting it off with IV Chemotherapy, in and out of hospitals, including UCLA. Truthfully we werent so sure I'd make it sometimes. But I did.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease where our own bodies and cells become hyperactive. They (our cells) start attacking organs, skin, blood, nerves, Brain, Central nervous system, joints, muscles.... pretty much everything and anything in our bodies. For most Lupus paitents they usually have mild to moderate cases, and they can be easily controlled with proper care and medication. For some of us, we need more aggressive care, and more medication, and more doctors, and specialists. most Lupus paitents see a specialists called Rhuematologists. They specialize in things like rhuematoid arthritis, Osteoporosis, Fibromyalgia, and several other things. I see mine once a month, and usually in between visits when I'm in what is called a flare (active Lupus) I talk to her 1 or 2 times between visits to add medications, switch some, switch dosages, etc. like a cancer paitent we can have periods of remmission. For some, they can last a very long time. For others a few months, or a bit more or less. Most of us dont do well during the summer. It seems to activate the disease. I do better in the winter and cooler months. July, August, and September are very hard on me. I live in so ca and those are our hottest months.

Its is also a disease with no cure, just ways to manage it, and supress it, and control symptoms.

Im sorry I have never heard the term dread disease before. But it sounds like your asking about diseases with no cure. so I suppose that is what would determine a dread disease. somthing that is chronic, ongoing, with periods of flares and remmsions but no absolute cures

hope that helps.  (+ info)

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