Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Medical condition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus is a cutaneous condition characterized by a bilateral malar rash (also known as a "butterfly rash") and lesions that tend to be transient, and that follow sun exposure.[1] The acute form is distinct from chronic and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, which may have different types of skin lesions.[2] Cutaneous lupus erythematosus is associated with both lupus erythematosus-specific lesions and cutaneous manifestations that are not specific to lupus erythematosus, such as oral ulcers and urticaria.[3] Because of the diagnostic criteria used to diagnose systemic lupus erythematosus, a patient with only cutaneous manifestations may be diagnosed with the systemic form of the disease.[2]
| Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Dermatology |
Forms
Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus can be either localized or generalized.[4]
Localized form
The localized form of the disease is most commonly associated with the malar rash and normally develops in a patient's twenties. The localized form occurs only above the patient's neck and is not associated with rashes in other parts of the body.[4]
Generalized form
Generalized acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus includes skin below the patient's neck and is described as a macropapular rash or photosensitive lupus dermatitis.[4] Symptoms include similar erythematic lesions as seen in the localized form, but forms a symmetrical rash and can be mistaken for a drug rash.[4]