Werth, MD, a professor of dermatology at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “The outward manifestations of lupus on the skin can be a window into what’s going on systemically,” says Victoria P. Lupus rash and skin changes often accompany other symptoms of lupus, which can include fatigue, pain and swelling in the joints, and swollen glands. “The immune response targets the skin cells and causes inflammation that leads to the rashes,” he says. An antigen is any substance that causes the immune system to react, often by producing antibodies to fight against it. “The UV radiation damages the cells in the skin, and that exposes antigens that the immune system recognizes, and that leads to an immune response in the skin,” says Dr. “It’s thought that the rashes occur because of exposure to sunlight,” says George Stojan, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School and the codirector of the Hopkins Lupus Center in Baltimore. Approximately two out of every three people with lupus will develop some type of skin disease, known as cutaneous lupus erythematosus, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Lupus can also affect the skin and cause a rash or other kinds of skin changes. This response creates inflammation in many parts of the body, including the joints, kidneys, brain, heart, and lungs. Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs.
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