Soft-Tissue Calcification in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

This 1982 study described a rare case of soft-tissue calcification in a 15-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a condition not commonly associated with such calcifications. The patient developed multiple painful subcutaneous masses, which were confirmed as calcifications through X-ray and histological examination. Despite normal serum enzyme levels and renal function, the pathogenesis of the calcifications remained unclear. The study noted that soft-tissue calcification in SLE was rare, with only 25 cases reported at the time, often linked to long-standing illness and sometimes associated with skin ulcers, myositis, and fat necrosis. The researchers highlighted the potential diagnostic utility of 99mTe-phosphate compounds in detecting soft-tissue calcifications.