Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Case Studies

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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory condition caused by an autoimmune disease that cause inflammation in connective tissues, such as cartilage and the lining of blood vessels, which provide strength and flexibility to structures throughout the body. Lupus is a Latin word for wolf as in the 18th century it was thought to be caused by a wolf’s bite. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Cells and chemicals of the immune system damage the tissue of the body. This caused inflammation includes swelling, redness, increased blood flow and tissue disruption. Lupus can cause disease of the skin, heart, lungs, kidneys, joints and nervous system. When only the skin is involved the condition is called discoid lupus. When internal organ are involved the condition is called systemic lupus erythematosus. …show more content…
The skin component of SLE include facial erythema across the cheeks and nose. Severity of the disease can vary from mild to potentially fatal. SLE can occur in both male and female of all ages but it is eight times more common in woman than man. Mainly young women are affected. The 5-year mortality has been variously estimated to be between 15 and 50 per cent, dependent on the organ system affected and the pace of the disease. In addition, ‘’SLE may be due to alteration of nuclear constituents by infection or drugs and is associated with antinuclear factors in 80-90%’’ (R. Marks,