Lupus is an autoimmune rheumatic disease wherein the immune system attacks its own tissues. This disease can last for years, or it may even be lifelong. It can, basically, be classified into four different types:

Systemic lupus erythematosus
This is what most people mean when they refer to lupus as this is the most common form of the disease. This form can be either mild or severe, and some of the complications seen in patients having this form of the disease are as follows:

• Inflammation of the kidney, which is also referred to as Lupus nephritis, can affect the body’s ability to filter waste from the blood. It is a condition that needs to be taken quite seriously as it can be severe, and the patient may require dialysis or even a kidney transplant.
• Inflammation of the nervous system and brain can cause confusion, memory problems, headaches, and even strokes.
• Inflammation in the brain’s blood vessels can cause high fever, seizures, and behavioral changes.
• Hardening of the arteries or coronary artery disease may lead to deposits on the coronary artery walls, causing a heart attack.

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus
This type is limited to the skin, and although cutaneous lupus can cause many types of rashes, the most common of them is the discoid rash. The discoid rash is a scaly, raised, and red rash that is not itchy. The areas affected by this rash appear like discs or circles.
Another common type of rash associated with cutaneous lupus is a rash across the bridge of the nose and over the cheeks known as the butterfly rash. Other symptoms of cutaneous lupus include hair loss and changes in the pigment or color of the skin. It is likely that about 10% of people who have cutaneous lupus will develop systemic lupus as well, with the skin rash being the main symptom.

Drug-induced lupus erythematosus
This is caused by certain prescription drugs, and the symptoms are very similar to that of systemic lupus and rarely affect any of the major organs. The drugs most commonly connected with drug-induced lupus are Hydralazine, which is prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure; Procainamide, which is used to treat irregular heart rhythms; and Isoniazid, which is a drug used to treat tuberculosis.

Neonatal lupus
This is actually not a true form of disease. Instead, it is a rare condition that affects the infants born to women affected by the disease. It is caused by the antibodies of the mother that act upon the infant in the womb. The infant might have a skin rash, liver problems, or low blood cell counts, but these symptoms disappear completely after a few months, with no lasting effect. A serious heart defect is also a possibility in some infants with neonatal lupus. With proper tests, the infant can be treated at or before birth.