[Buccal lupus lesions (author's transl)]

Lupus is a particularly polymorphic disease involving all medical disciplines and inciting the publication of an increasing number of papers. The two clinical types of lupus (acute disseminated lupus erythematosus and chronic lupus) have, until recently, led to doubts as to the unified nature of the disease. Grouping the symptoms and the results of their investigation in a computer has shown that there are 14 elements which occur most frequently, though there is no absolute pathognomonic sign of the disease. Oropharyngeal ulcerations, without being typical, are on of the fundamental signs and were found in 10% of cases of chronic lupus. The Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome is sometimes found, but it is not one of the fundamental signs : its existence, however, has enabled progress to be made during research into the auto-immune physiopathology of lupus disease.