SLE is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the skin, joints, kidney, lung, heart and brain. SLE patients exhibit a characteristic rash that gives the disease its name. The rash is red in color (erythematous) and is concentrated on the cheeks such that some patients have a “wolfish” appearance (lupus is Latin for “wolf”). Multiple elements of the immune system may be disrupted in SLE patients such that these individuals are usually vulnerable to opportunistic infections.