Symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

  SLE is a serious connective tissue disease that involves damage to multiple organs, including the skin, blood, bones, joints, liver, kidneys, heart, and brain, and often results in life-threatening uremic syndrome at advanced stages. Although SLE predominates in young and middle-aged women, there has been a recent trend of increasing prevalence in the elderly. The first symptom of SLE is a bright red rash on the face, limited to both cheeks and the bridge of the nose, with clear edges and a rash that resembles a butterfly, commonly known as butterfly erythema. The rash is also photosensitive, and the color of the rash deepens and the edema increases after exposure to outdoor sunlight. When the edges of the erythema are touched by hand, there is a soft and hard feeling, and the patient often does not feel itchy. This rash pattern is similar to other allergic dermatoses of the face at a cursory glance, such as cosmetic dermatitis caused by cosmetic allergy. However, although the rash of cosmetic dermatitis also shows photosensitivity, the erythema tends not to involve the nasal bridge, there is no tenderness and hardness when the edges of the erythema are touched, and patients with cosmetic dermatitis have obvious pruritus.  In addition, patients with early lupus erythematosus often have frostbite like dermatological manifestations on the backs of both hands. There are edematous erythema of different sizes and irregular shapes on the backs of both hands, symmetrically distributed, usually without ulceration, without itching and with burning pain, called erythema multiforme. This rash is not affected by seasons and exists all year round, whereas frostbite occurs in winter, often with ulceration and significant itching. More importantly, early lupus erythematosus is often accompanied by many unnoticeable systemic symptoms. For example, peripheral joint pains, low fever, weakness, anemia, etc. This is because there is a disease factor, lupus erythematosus factor, in the blood of patients with early lupus erythematosus, which can destroy the body’s blood cells, joint cavities, liver, kidneys, heart and so on.  Young, middle-aged and elderly women who have the rash of early lupus erythematosus, along with the above-mentioned systemic symptoms, should go to the hospital promptly for relevant laboratory tests. In the blood tests of early lupus erythematosus patients, there are the following laboratory changes: significant decrease in red blood cells, hemoglobin, white blood cells and platelets, and increase in blood sedimentation, and when immunological tests are performed, there are also the following laboratory indicators: positive anti-nuclear cell antibodies, positive rheumatoid factor, and lupus cells can be found in the blood.  Early lupus erythematosus has more ideal treatment methods and can even be cured, so early detection and early diagnosis is the key to cure the disease.