Correlation of cutaneous manifestations and autoimmunity in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune heterogeneous disease with a diverse clinical picture and symptoms,
which can manifest as an exclusively skin disease or manifest with involvement of vital organs (kidneys, skeletal system, joints,
connective tissue, heart, lungs, etc.). About half of patients with lupus experience a characteristic rash called the malar or
"butterfly" rash that can appear spontaneously or after sun exposure. Skin lesions are present in 70% - 80% of cases of CLE.
[1,2,3]. Cutaneous involvement is the most common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The strongest risk
factor for SLE is gender, with a female to male incidence ratio of 7 to 15:1 in adults and 3 to 4:1 in children [4]. SLE is four times
more common in black women than in white women, and patients of African descent tend to develop the disease earlier and
have higher mortality [5,6]. Purpose of the work is to assess the prevalence of lupus manifested by skin lesions and damage to
other organs (kidneys, joints), which could contribute to early detection of the disease and taking appropriate measures to
improve the quality of life of patients. We achieve this goal by monitoring laboratory parameters and the clinical picture of a
group of patients diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in a 12-month period every 3 months. The results obtained
are processed with appropriate statistical methods and are presented in tables and graphs. The research concluded that all
subjects manifested skin lesions of various types, and 15% also had symptoms of damage to other organs. After 12 months of
treatment with appropriate therapy, all subjects showed improvements in the values of the examined laboratory parameters.
Keywords: skin lesions, autoimmune disease, rash