Unusual Case Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Young Woman
October 2022
in “
Rheumato
”
TLDR A young woman with severe symptoms was diagnosed with SLE and improved significantly after treatment.
A 25-year-old woman with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with rare initial symptoms of cardiac tamponade and acute peritonitis with ascites, along with dyspnea, fever, severe hair loss, and weight loss. After ruling out malignancy and infections, SLE was diagnosed based on clinical criteria and lab findings, including serositis, proteinuria, and positive antinuclear antibodies. Treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants led to significant improvement, underscoring the need to consider SLE in patients with unusual serositis presentations.
