Lupus: A Continuum of Disease? Incomplete lupus is often mild, but can progress, cause damage

Patients with "incomplete lupus erythematosus" (ILE), who have some features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but do not fulfill the stringent disease criteria, typically have milder disease -- but a subset of patients have major organ manifestations, accrue organ damage, or go on to develop full-blown SLE, according to a large lupus registry study. Lupus is a highly heterogeneous disease, affecting multiple organ systems and often in overlapping patterns. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) requires four of its criteria to be met for the diagnosis to be made, but a substantial number of patients have fewer and have been variously described as having possible, latent, probable, or incomplete lupus. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Lupus/62832?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-02-01&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1