The term lupus is a general name given to a group of several different autoimmune diseases. Even when two people have the same type of lupus, they may exhibit different symptoms and severity of the disease. Each lupus type has distinct characteristics.

The most common type of lupus is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This is the type of lupus that most people mean when they say that they have lupus. The systemic type of lupus can affect all systems of the body. SLE can affect men, women, and children but it most often strikes women of childbearing age (15-45). Symptoms and/or pain of the systemic type of lupus may range from hardly noticeable to very severe and may be limited to skin and joints or may affect lungs, kidneys, blood and other organs as well. Because this type of lupus is a total body disease, it is the most serious lupus type. Between 60 and 65 percent of patients with SLE develop some time of skin problems. The systemic lupus types a chronic disease that fluctuates from periods of activity called flares to periods of inactivity called remissions. It is distinguished from the milder types of lupus due to the presence of autoantibodies in the blood.

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Drug induced lupus type is caused by long-term use of certain prescription drugs. The symptoms of the drug-induced type of lupus are similar to the systemic type of lupus. Some drugs that may cause the drug induced lupus type are the anti-seizure medications phenytoin (Dilantin) or carbamazepine (Tegretol), the high blood pressure medication hydralazine, and procainamide(Procan, Pronestyl), a medication used to treat heart arrhythmia. In addition, hydralazine (Apresoline), methyldopa (Aldomet), quinidine (Quinaglute), and isoniazid (INH) are other drugs that may induce this type of lupus. The positive thing about this type of lupus is that symptoms generally subside after a few days and disappear after only a couple of weeks after discontinuation of the medication.

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Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus, sometimes called discoid lupus type is a milder type of lupus and causes coin-shaped rashes that are raised, thick, red and scaly, lasting from a few days to several years. These pain and itch-free rashes may cause permanent scarring, discoloration of the skin (white and dark areas) and permanent hair loss if they show up on the scalp. Occasionally, discoid lupus type rashes can develop into skin cancer so a dermatologist should inspect any changes in the lesions. There are two types of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). These are localized (the type of lupus where lesions are limited to anywhere above the neck) and generalized (the type of lupus where lesions can occur both above and below the neck). Patients with the discoid lupus type do not have auto antibodies in the blood, however, 10% of these patients will go on to develop the more serious systemic lupus type. In addition, 20 percent of patients with the systemic lupus type (SLE) have the discoid lupus type (DLE) as their first symptom. The only way to tell if you have the more serious type of lupus is to take a blood test, a medical exam and a complete medical history review.

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Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (ACLE) is a lupus type that is characterized by a sunburn-like rash of flat red skin that can be localized or generalized. The localized type of lupus presents itself as a butterfly-shaped rash over the face and cheeks. The generalized type of lupus shows up as redness over the arms, legs and body. This type of lupus makes the patient very sensitive to sunlight and rashes normally show up after a patient has been in the sun. Approximately 10% of people with the more serious systemic lupus type (SLE) have SCLE skin lesions as their first symptom.

Neonatal lupus type is a type of lupus experienced by newborn babies whose mothers have SLE. The neonatal type of lupus is rare but it can cause heart defects, rashes, low blood counts and abnormal livers in infants. Neonatal type lupus is caused when the mother passes her autoantibodies to her unborn child. A skin rash that shows up in the first two weeks after birth and lasts for about six months characterizes it. Most babies born to mothers with SLE have healthy babies.

The final type of lupus is the pediatric or childhood lupus type. Childhood lupus has its own set of symptoms and problems.

Each of the lupus types have distinct characteristics and can be put on a continuum from mild to severe. Once you determine the type of lupus that you have will help your doctor plan the right treatment for you.

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