systemic lupus erythematosus

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the connective tissues, occurring mainly among middle-aged women, chiefly characterized by skin eruptions, joint pain, recurrent pleurisy, and kidney disease. SLE

---

systemic lupus erythematosus Scientific  

/ ĕr′ə-thē′mə-tō′sĭs /

1. An inflammatory autoimmune disease of the connective tissue, characterized by fever, skin rash, joint pain or arthritis, and anemia. It occurs most commonly in women and often affects the kidneys and nervous system, as well as other organs.

---

Example Sentences

The drug, a treatment for the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus, is already approved as an intravenous infusion and that form of administration remains commercially available, AstraZeneca said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

"And as the pro-inflammatory signalling cascade doesn't subside but rather continues, this may well facilitate autoimmune responses such as systemic lupus erythematosus," Kroschewski explains.

From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023

It’s little wonder: Cleghorn lives with systemic lupus erythematosus, a serious autoimmune disease, far more frequent in women than in men, that can attack various organs and is challenging to diagnose and treat.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2021

Autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or systemic lupus erythematosus, produce arthritis because the immune system of the body attacks the body joints.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

See for more. deCODE and Pfizer Icelandic genomics company deCODE genetics is teaming up with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to hunt for rare genetic variants linked to the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus.

From Nature • Oct. 19, 2011