disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (Lahita 1998). This may be due to the fact that lupus is not one disease but many diseases grouped under one heading. I t may also be because the disease can present itself to both physicians and patients in mysterious ways; throwing them off the track, leading them to think of other more common illnesses, and avoiding standard diagnostic methods. Whatever the reason may be lupus is complex and problematic. Lupus can be a very difficult disease to diagnose (Wallace 1995).

Lupus is an autoimmune disease (auto- meaning self). The immune system, which normally protects the body, turns against itself and attacks it. Lupus has no known cause, and as a result, there is no known cure (JAMA 2001). The disease got its name because many patients looked as though they had been bitten or scratched by wolves. Lupus, in Latin, means, “wolf” (Lahita 1998). The disease can affect many different systems of the body, and there are many different ways that it can affect people.

People with lupus have unusual antibodies in their blood that target their own body tissues. The d

· brain irritation: seizure/convulsions

· discoid skin rash: patchy redness that can cause scarring

· antinuclear antibody: positive ANA antibody testing

Some topics in this essay:
American Rheumatism, Encarta Encyclopedia, Lupus Latin, Medical Odyssey, , systemic lupus, lahita 1998, wallace 1995, eleven criteria, systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus patients, facial rash, inflammation lining, lupus erythematosus, medicinenet 2000, “butterfly rash”, diagnosis systemic lupus, phillips 1996 lupus, encarta encyclopedia 2001, systemic lupus develop,