Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus

March 2009 in “ The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine ”

Suraj Panjwani

discoid lupus erythematosus DLE scarring hair loss hyperpigmentation photoprotective measures topical steroids antimalarials retinoids thalidomide topical tacrolimus immunosuppressives azathioprine cyclosporine mycophenolate mofetil methotrexate

TLDR Early diagnosis and treatment of discoid lupus erythematosus improve outcomes.

Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic skin disease that can cause scarring, hair loss, and hyperpigmentation if not treated early. Early diagnosis and treatment improve outcomes, typically made through clinical examination and sometimes confirmed with histopathology. Effective treatment options include photoprotective measures, potent topical steroids, and antimalarials. For cases resistant to standard therapy, alternatives like retinoids, thalidomide, topical tacrolimus, and immunosuppressives (azathioprine, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate) are available.

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