Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Peter H Schur, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Published online: March 2009

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0002147.pub2

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause which can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, serous membranes and other organs in the body, in various combinations, especially in young women, and which is characterized by immune abnormalities, in particular antibodies to nuclear constituents. Treatment is based both on preventive measures, alleviation of symptoms, but in particular anti-inflammatory agents including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and immunosuppressive medications.

Keywords: autoimmune disease; rheumatic disease; immunology; genetics; corticosteroids

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 Further Reading
    book Aladjem H and Schur PH (1986) In Search of the Sun. New York: Scribners.
    book Lahita R (2004) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, 4th edn. New York: Churchill Livingstone.
    book Schur PH (ed.) (1996) The Clinical Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, 2nd edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
    other Schur PH (2008) Multiple chapters on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Up To Date in Rheumatology.
    book Wallace DJ and Hahn BH (2006) Dubois’ Lupus Erythematosus, 7th edn. Lippincott.

Related Sub-Topics:

Autoimmunity | Inflammation | Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Methods
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Article Title: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
 
How to Cite close
Schur, Peter H(Mar 2009) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0002147.pub2]