EDUCATION

There is no cure for SLE. Treatment is aimed at:

  • Stopping health problems from worsening
  • Treating problems when they happen
  • Lowering the chance of health problems, such as harm to organs
  • Making your quality of life the same or better

The treatments you will have will depend on your health, the parts of the body that have problems, and the impact of these problems on your life. Health specialists may be needed.

SLE differs in each person. The earlier SLE and flare ups are found and treated, the better. Keeping in touch with your health team is important to help find the treatments that work best.

You may need:

Lifestyle changes
Medications
Alternative and complementary therapies
REFERENCES:

Guidelines for referral and management of systemic lupus erythematosus in adults. American College of Rheumatology Ad Hoc Committee on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Guidelines. Arthritis Rheum. 1999;42(9):1785-1796.

Lupus. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website. Available at: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Lupus/default.asp. Updated June 30, 2016. Accessed August 31, 2018.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115873/Systemic-lupus-erythematosus-SLE. Updated July 20, 2018. Accessed August 31, 2018.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at: http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/musculoskeletal_and_connective_tissue_disorders/autoimmune_rheumatic_disorders/systemic_lupus_erythematosus_sle.html. Updated February 2018. Accessed August 31, 2018.

Treating lupus. Lupus Foundation of America website. Available at: http://www.lupus.org/answers/topic/treating-lupus. Accessed September 5, 2018.

Last reviewed May 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Daniel A. Ostrovsky, MD  Last Updated: 9/5/2018