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Discoid Lupus

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

  • 495 Accesses

Synonyms

Chronic cutaneous lupus; Cutaneous only lupus; Skin lupus

Definition

Discoid lupus (DLE) is a chronic, scarring skin disease characterized by clinical, histologic, and immunopathologic findings, commonly on the face over the cheeks and bridge of the nose in a “malar” or “butterfly” distribution.

Skin disease is the second most common clinical manifestation of lupus, after joint inflammation, and is divided into acute, subacute, and chronic cutaneous forms. Of the chronic cutaneous forms, discoid lupus is the most characteristic with prominence on the face, ears, and scalp.

These “discoid” or coin-shaped lesions frequently progress to permanent scars with significant effect on the quality of life in those individuals with the disease, suggesting that prevention as well as early and efficient management towards remission be the goal of the treating physician. There are variants of DLE including the hypertrophic or lichen planus overlap form as well as the palmar/plantar or acral...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dermatology and Medicine (Rheumatology), Skin Lupus and Autoimmune Connective Tissue Disease Section, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Andrew G. Franks Jr.

Authors
  1. Andrew G. Franks Jr.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew G. Franks Jr. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Betty Diamond

  4. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Anne Davidson

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Franks, A.G. (2014). Discoid Lupus. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Diamond, B., Davidson, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_280

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_280

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-84827-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-84828-0

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