lupus is an autoimmune disease which means that the immune system mistakes the body's own tissues as foreign invaders and attacks them. some people with lupus suffer only minor inconvenience. others suffer significant lifelong disability. lupus affects people of african asian or native american descent three times as often as it affects whites. nine out of 10 people with lupus are women. the disease usually strikes between age 15 and 45 although it can occur in older individuals. there are two kinds of lupus: discoid lupus erythematosus (dle). systemic lupus erythematosus (sle). dle mainly affects skin that is exposed to sunlight and doesn’t typically affect vital internal organs. discoid (circular) skin lesions often leave scars after healing of the lesions. sle is more serious: it affects the skin and other vital organs and can cause a raised scaly butterfly-shaped rash across the bridge of the nose and cheeks that can leave scars if untreated. sle can also affect other parts of the skin elsewhere on the body. aside from the visible effects of systemic lupus the disease may also inflame and/or damage the connective tissue in the joints muscles and skin along with the membranes surrounding or within the lungs heart kidneys and brain. sle can also cause kidney disease. brain involvement is rare but for some lupus can cause confusion depression seizures and strokes. blood vessels may come under attack with systemic lupus. this can cause sores to develop on the skin especially the fingers. some lupus patients get raynaud's syndrome which makes the small blood vessels in the skin contract preventing blood from getting to the hands and feet -- especially in response to cold. most attacks last only a few minutes can be painful and often turn the hands and feet white or a bluish color. lupus patients with raynaud’s syndrome should keep their hands warm with gloves during cold weather.
what is lupus?