Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases > Connective Tissue Diseases > Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic Terms and Definitions

Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic

Medical Definition:	A chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, and often febrile multisystemic disorder of connective tissue, characterized principally by involvement of the skin, joints, kidneys, and serosal membranes. It is of unknown etiology, but is thought to represent a failure of the regulatory mechanisms of the autoimmune system. The disease is marked by a wide range of system dysfunctions, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the formation of LE cells in the blood or bone marrow.
Guide Notes:	if not specified as "systemic" it is still probably correct to index here, not also discoid; LUPUS NEPHRITIS is also available; LE CELLS see NEUTROPHILS is also available: use LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, SYSTEMIC /blood or /pathol + NEUTROPHILS for discussion of
Also Called:	Libman-Sacks Disease

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