Systemic lupus erythematosus in patients with chronic cutaneous (discoid) lupus erythematosus. Clinical and laboratory findings in seventeen patients.

The presence of the discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) skin lesion in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been suggested to be a marker of less frequent and less severe renal disease. The clinical and laboratory features of seventeen patients who were seen in a dermatology practice and who had DLE as a manifestation of SLE (DLE-SLE) are reported. DLE preceded the diagnosis of SLE in eight patients. In six patients, the onset was concurrent, whereas in three the SLE was present prior to the discoid skin lesions. Five of the patients had lesions of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE), and Raynaud's phenomenon occurred in eight patients. Clinical evidence of a renal abnormality was present in six patients (hematuria in three, proteinuria in five, and abnormal renal function in two). Antibodies to nuclear and/or cytoplasmic components were abnormal in all patients. Antibody subsets did not correlate well with clinical findings; only half of those with Raynaud's phenomenon demonstrated a positive ribonucleoprotein; only one patient with SCLE demonstrated anti-Ro (SSA) antibody, but four of the six patients with a renal abnormality had an elevated anti-native deoxyribonucleic acid antibody titer. The cutaneous lesions were eventually widespread in all patients, although two had initial disease that was localized to the head and neck. Although renal disease occurs in this group, it is less common and usually milder than in previous groups of unselected SLE patients.