Systemic Lupus Erythematosus:
Information for adults

Lupus can be difficult to diagnose for 3 reasons: systemic lupus erythematosus can affect so many different organ systems, its symptoms can come and go, and no 2 people have exactly the same form of the disease. In addition to a careful review of your medical history, your doctor may perform blood tests, urinalysis, chest X-ray, or an electrocardiogram (ECG) before confirming the diagnosis of lupus.

If you have a rash that is suspicious for lupus, you nay need a skin biopsy. The procedure involves:

1. Numbing the skin with an injectable anesthetic.
2. Sampling a small piece of skin by using a flexible razor blade, a scalpel, or a tiny cookie cutter (called a "punch biopsy"). If a punch biopsy is taken, a suture or two may be placed and will need to be removed 6–14 days later.
3. Having the skin sample examined under the microscope by a specially trained physician (dermatopathologist).

Even with a confirmed diagnosis of lupus, treatments vary as much as the disease itself. Treatments depend greatly on which organs are affected and how severe your symptoms are. In general, however, the following oral medications are frequently used for lupus:

• Anti-malarial drugs such as hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, or quinacrine
• Corticosteroids
• Anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or indomethacin
• Immune-suppressing medications including azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cyclosporine, chlorambucil, or mycophenolate mofetil

As yet, there is no cure for lupus.