Systemic lupus erythematosus historical perspective

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2]

Historical Perspective

Etymology

There are several explanations ventured for the term lupus erythematosus. Lupus is Latin for wolf, and 'erythro' is derived from ερυθρόςTemplate:Polytonic, Greek for "red." All explanations originate with the reddish, butterfly-shaped malar rash that the disease classically exhibits across the nose and cheeks.

1. In various accounts, some doctors thought the rash resembled the pattern of fur on a wolf's face.
2. In other accounts doctors thought that the rash, which was often more severe in earlier centuries, created lesions that resembled wolf bites or scratches.
3. Stranger still is the account that the term "Lupus" didn't come from Latin at all, but from the term for a French style of mask which women reportedly wore to conceal the rash on their faces. The mask is called a "loup", French for "Wolf"
4. Another common explanation for the term is that the disease's course involves repeated attacks like those of a voracious predator, leaving behind the red blotches.