| lupus erythematosus, systemic | A chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, and often febrile multisystemic disorder of connective tissue, characterised principally by involvement of the skin, joints, kidneys, and serosal membranes. It is of unknown aetiology, but is thought to represent a failure of the regulatory mechanisms of the autoimmune system. The disease is marked by a wide range of system dysfunctions, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the formation of le cells in the blood or bone marrow. (12 Dec 1998) |
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