Abstract

AbstractDepressed levels of serum complement have long been known to be associated with active systemic lupus erythematosus. However, most studies have observed this finding in patients with lupus nephritis. To determine whether serum complement is depressed in patients who have skin involvement as the main manifestation of this disease and who have normal renal function, we studied eight patients who fulfilled these criteria. Six patients with moderate to severe skin involvement had low to below normal serum B1C levels; the two patients with mild or inactive skin lesions had normal levels. These results indicate that depressed levels of serum complement in systemic lupus erythematosus may sometimes be related to widespread active cutaneous involvement with deposition of complement in these skin lesions.