The following criteria are used to distinguish
lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) from
other
autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.
A
person with 4 of these 11 conditions can be classified as having lupus. These
conditions may be present all at once or they may appear in succession over a
period of time.1
- Butterfly (malar
) rash on cheeks - Rash
on face, arms, neck, torso (discoid rash)
- Skin rashes that result
from exposure to sunlight or
ultraviolet light (photosensitivity)
- Mouth
or nasal sores (ulcers), usually painless
- Joint swelling,
stiffness, pain involving two or more joints (arthritis)
- Inflammation of the membranes
surrounding the lungs (pleuritis) or
heart (pericarditis).
- Abnormalities in urine,
such as increased protein or clumps of red blood cells or kidney cells, called
cell casts, in the urine
- Nervous system problems, such as
seizures or
psychosis, without known cause
- Problems
with the blood, such as reduced numbers of red blood cells (anemia), platelets, or white blood
cells
- Laboratory tests indicating increased
autoimmune activity (antibodies against normal
tissue)
- Positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) test
Citations
Petri MA (2005). Systemic lupus erythematosus:
Clinical aspects. In WJ Koopman, LW Moreland, eds., Arthritis and Allied Conditions: A Textbook of Rheumatology, 15th ed., vol. 2,
pp.1473-1496. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Petri MA (2005). Systemic lupus erythematosus:
Clinical aspects. In WJ Koopman, LW Moreland, eds., Arthritis and Allied Conditions: A Textbook of Rheumatology, 15th ed., vol. 2,
pp.1473-1496. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
