Chronic Lupus Erythematosus and Systemic Scleroderma Coexistent in the Same Patient
January 2018
in “
ARC Journal of Dermatology
”
TLDR A patient had both chronic lupus and systemic scleroderma, requiring careful treatment to manage symptoms.
The document presented a case study of a 50-year-old patient diagnosed with both chronic lupus erythematosus and systemic scleroderma, illustrating an overlap syndrome. The patient exhibited symptoms such as inflammatory alopecia plaques, lesions on the palate, and telangiectasia on the palms. Biopsies confirmed chronic lupus, and capillaroscopy indicated Raynaud phenomenon, suggesting scleroderma. The pulmonary CT scan showed honeycombing in the lungs, a common scleroderma manifestation. Treatment included antimalarials, vasodilators, and azathioprine. The study highlighted the importance of distinguishing between scleroderma renal crisis and lupus nephritis due to differing treatments and suggested that new biological therapies could reduce the need for high-dose corticosteroids.
