Cutaneous lupus erythematosus - reflecting on practice changing observations over the past 50years

Publication date: Available online 10 April 2018
Source:Clinics in Dermatology
Author(s): Jeffrey P. Callen
I discuss some of the historical observations that have led to our current understanding of the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. In addition, I examine the relationship of skin lesions to systemic disease and highlight what I consider to be seminal advances in our knowledge including the development of a classification system for cutaneous lupus, the use of a validated scoring system to assess patients' disease activity and damage, expansion of our knowledge of the action spectrum of this disease, observations about drugs as causes of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, the risk of progression from 'pure' cutaneous disease to systemic disease, and some new observations about traditional therapies as well as some of the newer therapies that might be used.