A comprehensive survey of the serologic proteome in human SLE suggests that severely disrupted chemokine gradients may contribute to the systemic autoimmunity observed.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is potentially debilitating and sometimes fatal as the immune system attacks the body?s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system.
The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission. Lupus can occur at any age, but is most common in women and particularly non-Caucasian women. Lupus is treatable symptomatically, mainly with corticosteroids and immunesuppressants, though as of 2006 there is no cure. The name lupus (Latin for “wolf”), is thought to derive from the crude similarity between the facial rash that some lupus patients develop and a wolf’s face, though other explanations have been proposed.