Lupus is a chronic, inflammatory disease. This illness can cause a flare-up in most systems of the body. Inflammation, pain and organ damage are often the result of the body attacking its own tissues and cells. The “flare-up” is due to an overactive immune system. The body mistakes its own cells and tissues for other harmful materials. There are three types of lupus:

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

SLE is the most common form of lupus. This form of lupus attacks multiple systems in the body. Affected parts of the body could be the skin, joints, blood, lungs, kidneys, heart, brain, and nervous system.

Discoid Lupus

This form of lupus only affects the skin. This type of lupus is evident in the kind of rashes a person gets. Discoid lupus can develop into systemic lupus in some cases but it’s rare (10% of cases).

Drug-induced Lupus

After a person takes certain prescription medications, signs of lupus can appear. Most often, the reaction to the drugs will disappear after you stop taking that medicine.

Who Gets Lupus?
Lupus is most common in women, particularly those of African American, Hispanic and Latino decent. These women get lupus at an earlier age than other groups of women. Lupus is more common in Asian, American Indian, and Hispanic/Latino women. How severe the disease is also differs between groups of women. African American (seizures and strokes) and Hispanic/Latino (heart problems) women experience more severe symptoms than other women.