Fever of Unknown Origin in a Male Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
January 2017
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR SLE should be considered in unexplained fevers, even in males.
A 21-year-old male with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and reduced hair growth, along with oral ulcer, cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy. Investigations revealed pancytopenia, positive anti-nuclear factor and double-stranded DNA, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, normal C-reactive protein levels, and hypocomplementemia. Treatment with oral prednisolone led to significant clinical and biochemical improvement within one week. The case highlighted the importance of considering SLE in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin, even in male patients.
