Cutaneous Capillary Changes in Lupus Erythematosus

Since Cazenave's description of chronic discoid lupus erythematosus as a unique localized skin disease, there has been a gradual evolution of thought concerning this disease. In recent years, carefully performed clinical, pathological, and laboratory investigations have provided considerable evidence that lupus erythematosus, in all its clinical forms, is a generalized disease. Pathologic studies1,2have shown that there is involvement of the vasculature of all organs demonstrating lesions of this disease. This may vary in severity from simple capillary dilatation without damage of the vessel wall to complete fibrinoid necrosis of the wall with obliteration of the lumen. Abnormalities of the superficial vessels within the cutaneous lesions of lupus erythematosus have been noted by capillary microscopy. Gilje3and Davis and Lawler4found a marked decrease in the number of end capillaries in chronic discoid lupus, and Gilje3reported similar changes in the cutaneous lesions of acute disseminate