Systemic Lupus Symptoms

By kara

Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky

Article Sources

Medical Expert

More About Us

4. How Does Systemic Lupus Affect the Skin?

Lupus can cause outwardly noticeable symptoms to a person’s skin and some cases of lupus may even affect the skin more than any other part of the body. Symptoms can include skin rashes, especially redness known as butterfly rash across the nose and cheeks of the infected individual. In some, but not all, cases there may also be some hair loss as a result of the disease.

The affected person may have discoloring around the fingernails, causing them to be paler than usual. Sores and other skin irritations besides butterfly rash can also be a common symptom and may appear anywhere, including inside the affected individual’s mouth. These symptoms are unpleasant, but they can often be relieved by avoiding certain triggers that cause the affected skin to be more irritated. While specific triggers may be unique for each affected individual, a common irritant for people with systemic lupus is exposure to the sun. Wearing protective clothing can be one of the best preventative measures to take to prevent flare-ups. Some noteworthy issues that can occur in more unusual cases of lupus infections are round rashes that can get quite large and may not heal well or blistering of the skin. These issues are rare, however, and generally only apply to very serious cases.