Discoid lupus diagnosis
One patient developed an infection, two had skin disease flares, and one developed a rash. A skin biopsy is used to diagnose discoid lupus in these cases, as other diseases can look the same.
If DLE is suspected a biopsy of the lesions may be done. Blood work may include ANA (positive in 20% of DLE patients), Anti-Ro (SSA) (positive in 1-3%), Anti-dsDNA (positive in <5%), sedimentation rate (may be elevated), RA factor (may be positive), and complement levels (may be low).
Rashes may affect any part of the body, but other frequent sites are the V-neck area, the palms of the hands, under the elbows and the soles of the feet.
One other standard treatment is avoiding sun exposure. The onset of the lesions may be precipitated by trauma, mental stress, sunburn and exposure to cold. Visceral involvement does not occur, but a small percentage of patients with DLE may later develop a systemic lupus erythematosus.
Several of the patients experienced side effects.
Categorised as: General