What is lupus?

Auto-immune disease: Systemic lupus erythematosis: a complex disease. It is an "auto-immune" disease (production of antibodies attacking the sufferer's own body). Symptoms can include fevers, aches/pains, fatigue, weight loss, kidney disease, rash, easy clotting, many others. Treatment includes suppressing the immune system to reduce the antibodies. Discoid lupus has a rash, not necessarily other symptoms.

Lupus: Word means wolf; indicating conditions that simulate such destruction. In reality, it's a spectrum of disease in which most people have a mild form. Typical symptoms include prolonged morning stiffness type of arthritis, fevers, and weight loss.

Autoimmune attack: Lupus erythematosus is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause. The immune system attacks the patient's own body (autoimmunity) and can inflame the skin, joints, kidneys, nervous system, lungs, mucous membranes, and other internal organs. A red rash is often but not always present hence the term lupus erythematosus meaning "red wolf.".