A 15-Year-Old Female Patient Diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Initially Presented with Lupus Nephritis, Cerebritis, and Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage

    October 2023 in “ CHEST Journal ”
    USAMA ELG ABU ELHASSAN, Saad M Alqahtani, SHERIF BUGNAH, NASSER ALASLAI, Mohammed Mukharrib, Ali A. Alsalem, Khalid Saeed Alamri, Ahmed A Alasim, Ibrahim Mahmoud, Magy Abdelwahab, ALI KADASAH, DR. ABDULLAH MUSLEH, Jaber Abdullah Alshahrani, HISHAM ALMASSAUD
    A 15-year-old female with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with lupus nephritis, cerebritis, and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). Initial symptoms included joint pain, facial redness, fatigue, and hair loss. Lab tests showed high antinuclear and double-stranded DNA antibodies. Despite treatment with methylprednisolone, she developed severe symptoms including headache, fever, vision loss, and hemoptysis. Cyclophosphamide treatment led to significant improvement. DAH, a rare but serious SLE complication, should be suspected in SLE patients with progressive dyspnea, desaturation, and hemoglobin decrease. The case highlights the importance of early recognition and treatment to improve outcomes.
    Discuss this study in the Community →