Caring for someone with this diagnosis? Eleplan keeps diagnoses, medications, documents and every specialist in one plan.
Start free with EleplanDiscoid lupus erythematosus
ORPHA:90281Disease
What it is
A rare form of chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus characterized by erythematous, scaly papules and plaques preferentially occurring on sun-exposed skin areas (scalp, face, and ears) and exhibiting follicular plugging, pigmentary changes, and central atrophy, scarring, and telangiectasia. Skin biopsy shows a perivascular and periadnexal lymphocytic infiltrate and involvement of the dermoepidermal junction with thickening of the basement membrane and vacuolar degeneration of the basal cells. A small percentage of patients may develop systemic lupus erythematosus.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-5 / 10 000
- Age of onset
- Adolescent, Adult, Childhood, Elderly
- Classified as
- Disease
Recorded for the broader condition
- Inheritance
- Multigenic/multifactorialChronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Orphanet records these for the broader condition rather than for this specific form. They are a starting point, not a figure for this subtype — subtypes often differ, and some are defined by being rarer than the condition they sit under.
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
8These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
Powered by Eleplan
A rare diagnosis is just the start. Eleplan keeps the whole care plan in one place.
Diagnoses, medications, documents, appointments, and the whole care team — organized and always in sync, so you are not retelling the same story to every new specialist. With Ellie, your AI care assistant, on top of it. Free to start.