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systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)
a chronic inflammatory disease, usually febrile, with damage to the skin, joints, kidneys, nervous system, mucous membranes,
and less often other organs; it usually has periods of remissions and exacerbations. It is primarily a disease of women, occurring
five to ten times more often in females than in males. Although the peak incidence is between 30 and 40 years of age, the
condition has also been diagnosed in the very young and the very old. SLE is the classic prototype of an autoimmune disease of connective tissue. Its cause is unknown, but the high level of autoantibodies in affected persons indicates a defect in the regulatory mechanisms that sustain self-tolerance and prevent the body from
attacking its own cells, cell constituents, and proteins. Clinical manifestations are diverse, because this type of lupus
affects connective tissue throughout the body. Typically, the patient seeks medical help for relief of fever, weight loss,
joint pain, the characteristic butterfly rash, pleural effusion and pleuritic pain, and nephritis. Either mild glomerulonephritis or heart problems such as myocarditis, endocarditis, or pericarditis, are found in about half the patients with SLE. Pulmonary disease, gastrointestinal disturbances, and lymph node involvement
are also common.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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