CUTANEOUS LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS - A STUDY OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY PROGNOSTIC FACTORS IN 65 PATIENTS

An eleven year review of patients presenting with cutaneous lupus eryt hematosus (LE) was made in order to determine the frequency of change from discoid LE (DLE) to systemic LE (SLE) and to identify clinical an d laboratory prognostic factors. Three of fifty-six (5.4%) patients wi th DLE progressed to SLE after 1, 13 and 34 years respectively. They h ad a progressive rash and persistent abnormalities in their full blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, antinuclear antibody and serum immunoglobulins prior to the development of SLE. We recommende that r egular longterm monitoring of these indices should be carried out in p atients presenting with DLE.