1.
[syn: systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, disseminated lupus erythematosus]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Lupus \Lu"pus\, n. [L., a wolf. See Wolf.]
1. (Med.) originally, a cutaneous disease with the appearance
of the skin having been gnawed, and occurring under two
distinct forms. Now used as a generic term for over ten
distinguishable diseases having visible cutaneous
symptoms.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
Note: Lupus erythematosus is characterized by an eruption
of red patches, which become incrusted, leaving
superficial scars. Lupus vulgaris is marked by the
development of nodules which often ulcerate deeply and
produce great deformity. Prior to 1900 the latter was
often confounded with cancer, and some varieties of
cancer were included under Lupus. Systemic lupus
erythematosus is an inflammatory connective tissue
disease occurring mostly in women, characterized by
skin rash, fever, and arthritic symptoms, and often
accompanied by hemolytic anemia, inflammation of the
pericardium, glomerular lesions, and hyperglobulinemia;
the condition shows positive in the LE cell test.
--[Stedman]br/ [1913 Webster +PJC]
2. (Astron.) The Wolf, a constellation situated south of
Scorpio.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
systemic lupus erythematosus
n 1: an inflammatory disease of connective tissue with variable
features including fever and weakness and fatigability and
joint pains and skin lesions on the face or neck or arms
[syn: systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, disseminated
lupus erythematosus]