History of Lupus

Abstract Lupus was first described before AD 1000, but the first modern use of the term along with a detailed description took place in the mid-1800s. Osler connected cutaneous disease with systemic manifestations in the 1880s. It took until the 1940s to develop the LE cell prep, a blood test for the disease, and until the 1950s and 1960s to demonstrate serologic testing. At the same time, several centers combined these insights with descriptions of organ involvement.