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From: jak@mtgzz.UUCP (j.a.kushner)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: What is Lupus?
Message-ID: <1391@mtgzz.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-Nov-85 10:03:30 EST
Article-I.D.: mtgzz.1391
Posted: Fri Nov  8 10:03:30 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 08:19:20 EST
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> What is LUPUS?

Lupus is the name generally used for the colagen disease Lupus Erythematosis.
In brief, this is an immunologic-type disorder affecting multiple organ
systems and showing a variety of signs and symptoms.

In terms of testing, it occassionally may lead to a presumptive diagnosis of
CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia), but finding the typical LE cell usually
is one way of determining the difference.  Also, tests for anti-nuclear 
antibodies are commonly positive with Lupus, but also, sometimes, with the 
other collagen diseases.  It is essentially an autoimmune disease targetted
at DNA.

Hope this helps. (My memory of the specifics of LE seemed to be coming in
short bursts; sorry for the disorganized ramblings!)