Lupus can be challenging to diagnose because its signs and symptoms may resemble those of other health conditions. The symptoms can also vary widely from person to person. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects about 5 million people around the world. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the body's immune system attacks healthy organs or tissues.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects more than 1. Normally, the immune system protects the body against foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria. In the case of a disease like lupus, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body and damages healthy tissues and organs. Lupus can cause problems with the kidneys, nervous system, blood vessels, and skin. There are different types of lupus, each of which cause different symptoms. Systemic lupus erythematosus SLE is the most common type.
This form of lupus is limited to the skin and can cause many types of rashes and lesions. Neonatal lupus is not a true form of lupus. It is a rare condition that affects infants of women who have lupus and is caused by antibodies from the mother acting upon the infant in the womb.
Most people with lupus experience some sort of skin involvement during the course of their disease. In fact, skin conditions comprise 4 of the 11 criteria used by the American College of Rheumatology for classifying lupus. There are three major types of skin disease specific to lupus and various other non-specific skin manifestautions associated with the disease.