Updating on the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus

Other cutaneous manifestations such as alopecia, oral ulcers, Raynaud’s phenomenon, urticaria, lichen planus, vasculitis or nail fold infarcts are LE non-specific, but they often present at times when patients experience increased lupus disease activity.

While the clinical presentation of SLE can be quite diverse because the disease can affect virtually any organ system, patients typically present with symptoms relating to joint, skin or mucosal inflammation, or with a varying degree of haematological abnormality or constitutional features.

However, the lack of a gold standard test to confirm diagnosis often results in delays or misdiagnosis.

The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) group has recently proposed a revised classification criteria,).

It occurs in 30–50% of SLE patients during their disease course.

It is important to recognise that LN can be relatively ‘silent’, and symptoms are often driven by other organ involvement or non-specific constitutional symptoms.