LAUSR

Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease, affecting multiple organ systems (ie brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, joints, liver, blood, eyes, and skin), with a high morbidity and mortality.2 Many clinical variants are grouped under the name “lupus erythematosus”.3 Frequent variants are systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), diagnosed through standard criteria,4 as established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)5 or by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC),6 and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), characterized by skin symptoms.1 Of the estimated 7.5 million people with SLE in the world, 70% are believed to have at least one skin symptom at some point in their disease.7 It has been shown that skin is second only to joints as the most affected organ system in patients with SLE.8 It has been shown that quality of life is significantly impaired in patients with CLE.9 A wide variety of interventions are available for cutaneous disease in SLE, including pharmacological agents and complementary and alternative therapies, as well as other interventions.