More rarely, the lesions may be bright red and look like hives. Location of lesions
The skin lesions are most often in sun-exposed areas localized above the neck, with favored sites being the scalp, bridge of the nose, upper cheeks, lower lip, and ear and hands  24% of patients also have lesions in the mouth (most often the palate), nose, eye, or vulva, which are all mucosal parts of the body.More rarely, patients may have lesions on the head and neck as well as the arms and trunk. Special characteristics of some lesions
Scalp lesions
When discoid lupus is on the scalp, it starts as a red flat or raised area of skin that then loses hair and develops extensive scarring. The lesions often lose skin pigment and become white with areas of increased skin pigment, with or without areas of redness, and have a sunken appearance. They can have a smooth surface or have visible, dilated hair follicles on the surface. Lip lesions
When discoid lupus is on the lip, it often has a grey or red colour with a thickened top layer of skin (known as hyperkeratosis), areas where the top layer has worn away (known as erosion), and a surrounding rim of redness. Other symptoms
Patients may state that their lesions are itchy, tender, or asymptomatic. In addition to their skin lesions, they may also have swelling and redness around their eyes, as well as blepharitis. Complications
Darker-skinned patients are often left with severe scarring and skin color changes even after the lesions get better.
This deficient mechanism is probably located at the level of the B30.2 domain (exon 10) where most of the pathogenic mutations associated with FMF are located. It is probably the interaction of this domain with the cytoskeleton (microtubules) that is failing, as suggested by the efficacy of colchicine.It is not conclusively known what exactly sets off the attacks, and why overproduction of IL-1 would lead to particular symptoms in particular organs (e.g. joints or the peritoneal cavity). Diagnosis
The diagnosis is clinically made on the basis of the history of typical attacks, especially in patients from the ethnic groups in which FMF is more highly prevalent. An acute phase response is present during attacks, with high C-reactive protein levels, an elevated white blood cell count and other markers of inflammation. In patients with a long history of attacks, monitoring the kidney function is of importance in predicting chronic kidney failure.A genetic test is also available to detect mutations in the MEFV gene. Sequencing of exons 2, 3, 5, and 10 of this gene detects an estimated 97% of all known mutations.A specific and highly sensitive test for FMF is the "metaraminol provocative test (MPT)", whereby a single 10 mg infusion of metaraminol is administered to the patient. A positive diagnosis is made if the patient presents with a typical, albeit milder, FMF attack within 48 hours. As MPT is more specific than sensitive, it does not identify all cases of FMF, although a positive MPT can be very useful.