A disease with many faces
Systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as butterfly lichen) is a chronic inflammatory systemic or autoimmune disease that occurs in phases and belongs to the group of collagenoses. Due to the many symptoms and complaints, the disease is also known as chameleon. Just as the transformation artist of the animal kingdom changes according to mood, colour and shape, the clinical manifestation spectrum of SLE is diverse, heterogeneous and variable.
In contrast to other rheumatic diseases, the systemic autoimmune disease SLE does not only focus on joint symptoms. Rather, the immune system attacks the body's own structures (e.g. skin, joints, kidneys, etc.), which can lead to inflammations in the affected organs. The disease is rare (approx. 25/100,000 inhabitants) and occurs significantly more frequently in women than in men. The damage to different organ systems can have very different characteristics and peculiarities.
