History of Lupus

From its discovery to the present day, scientists have learned a great deal about the complexities of this disease. Although references to this condition have been noted even in medieval times, perhaps the first comprehensive description of the disease was advanced by Pierre Cazenave in the mid 1800s. The name “lupus” is Latin for wolf, because patients often get a "wolf-bite like" malar rash on their face. (Some people call this a "butterfly rash".) In the 1950s, antinuclear antibodies associated with lupus were discovered. Antinuclear antibodies are triggers that cause an autoimmune attack of self tissues by the immune system. Studies in murine (mouse) models over the past 40 years have helped us to understand lupus better.

This page is maintained by the UTSW rheumatology department.
Email questions to: mohanlab@utsouthwestern.edu
This page was last modified 3/17/03

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