Muscle, Nerve, and Synovial Changes in Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Autopsy material from 15 patients with lupus erythematosus was studied histologically. The most prominent changes were muscle degeneration and involvement of the venous circulation consisting of 3 phases: edema, cellular reaction and sclerosis. These histologic alterations were identical with those observed in some active cases of rheumatoid arthritis. In only one instance of lupus did the changes in the muscle suggest fibrinoid degeneration.