Lupus Erythematosus: Or something else? Differential Diagnosis

Blood, hematopoietic organs-immune system (D50-D90).

  • Sarcoidosis – inflammatory systemic disease primarily affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, and skin.

Skin and subcutaneous (L00-L99).

  • Acral vasculitis – inflammation of the small blood vessels at the acras (ends of the body).
  • Actinic keratosis – changes on actinic (light) damaged skin; it can be the precursor to squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, which is why it is considered a precancerous lesion (precancerous lesion; KIN; keratinocytic intraepidermal neoplasia).
  • Drug exanthemaskin rash caused by taking a drug.
  • Discoid lupus erythematosus
  • Erythema anulare centrifugum – blue-red erythema that occurs as a skin reaction to a variety of influences
  • Erythema arciforme et palpabile
  • Erythema exsudativum multiforme (synonyms: erythema multiforme, cocard erythema, disc rose) – acute inflammation occurring in the upper corium (dermis), resulting in typical cocard-shaped lesions; a distinction is made between a minor and a major form.
  • Erythema gyratum repens – skin rash that often occurs with tumors of the internal organs.
  • Granuloma anulare – non-infectious granulomatous skin disease; coarse, ring-shaped, closely spaced, reddish nodules of the dermis.
  • Cutaneous mucinosis – accumulation of mucus in the skin area.
  • Light urticaria – appearance of wheals after exposure to light.
  • Nummular exanthema – rash with sharply demarcated disc-like redness of the skin.
  • Perioral dermatitis (synonyms: Erysipelas or Rosacea-like dermatitis) – skin disease with patchy erythema (skin redness), red disseminated or grouped follicular papules (nodular change on skin), pustules (pustules), dermatitis (skin inflammation) of the face, especially around the mouth (perioral), nose (perinasal) or eyes (periocular); Characteristic is that the skin zone adjacent to the red of the lips remains free; age between 20-45 years; mainly women are affected; risk factors are cosmetics, prolonged local corticosteroid therapy, ovulation inhibitors, sunlight
  • Polymorphous light dermatosis – multiple skin changes that occur after sun exposure to the skin.
  • Psoriasis vulgaris (psoriasis)
  • Rosacea (copper rose) – chronic inflammatory, non-contagious skin disease that manifests itself on the face; typical are papules (nodules) and pustules (pustules) andTeleangiectasia (dilation of small, superficial skin vessels).
  • Seborrheic eczemaskin rash that occurs especially on the scalp and face and is associated with scaling.
  • Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus
  • Tinea corporis – chronic fungal skin disease affecting the whole body.
  • Tinea facei – chronic fungal skin disease affecting the face.
  • Toxic epidermal necrolysis – acute severe disease that leads to the destruction of the epidermis.
  • Viral exanthema – skin rash caused by a viral infection.

Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).

Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).

  • Chronic polyarthritis
  • Dermatomyositis – disease belonging to the collagenoses, affecting the skin and muscles.
  • Panarteritis nodosa – necrotizing vasculitis that usually affects medium-sized vessels.
  • Panniculitis – inflammation of the fatty tissue under the skin.
  • Scleroderma – group of various rare diseases associated with connective tissue proliferation of the skin alone or simultaneously of the internal organs.
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus

Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48)

  • Malignant lymphoma – malignant neoplasms affecting the lymphatic system.
  • Mycosis fungoides – form of malignant T-cell lymphoma.
  • Paraneoplastic – subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus may occur in the setting of cancer, v.a. gastric carcinoma, liver carcinoma, mammary carcinoma (breast cancer), prostate carcinoma (prostate cancer), uterine carcinoma (uterine cancer), Hodgkin’s lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer, of the head and neck)

Injuries, poisonings, and other consequences of external causes (S00-T98).

  • Perniones (chilblains)