Novel lupus classification will aid future research

Until 2015, there was no uniform definition of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), which made it difficult to identify a study population for observational and interventional trials [1].

In 2015, an expert group met for a consensus agreement and agreed that a single international classification scheme is needed to enable communication with patients and physicians [2]. The lack of classification criteria led to heterogeneity in observational and interventional research efforts, stated Prof. Joseph F. Merola (Brigham and Women´s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA). Particularly striking was the absence of classification criteria for discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), the most common type of CLE. Therefore, a list of 12 potential clinical and histopathologic items to serve as classification criteria of DLE was developed in 2017 (see Figure) [3]. “This effort represented a key step towards the development of formal DLE classification criteria,” concluded Prof. Merola.

Figure: Potential classification criteria of discoid lupus erythematosus. Modified from [3]

1. 
   
   1. Merola JF. 24th World Congress of Dermatology, 10-15 June 2019, Milan, Italy.
   2. Merola JF, et al. Lupus Sci Med 2015;2:e000085.
   3. Elman SA, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol 2017: 77:261-267.

 



Posted on 26 August 201917 May 2024