Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Introduction
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ( SLE) is a chronic (long term) autoimmune diseases
with a heterogeneous presentation. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ( SLE) is a
chronic (long term) autoimmune diseases with a heterogeneous presentation. The
word systemic is used because it can affect so many organs and tissues in the body
meanwhile lupus refers to the rash that extends across the bridge of the nose and
upper checkbones and was thought to resemble a wolf bite. The word erythematosus
refers to the colour of the rash which is in red in colour1.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystem disease which is characterized
by an autoantibody response to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens. Lupus can be mild
to severe and affects mostly women. Lupus may affect various parts of the body but it
mostly manifests in the skin , joints, and kidneys. It was first described in 1828
whereby over 90% of patients with SLE have positive anti nuclear antibodies (ANA).
This disease is a relapsing and a remitting one.3
Lupus has no single diagnostic marker but instead is identified through a
combination of clinical and laboratory criteria. Accurate diagnosis of SLE is
important because treatment can reduce mortality and morbidity.The diagnosis of
SLE is basicly made upon clinical findings that comprises of the presence of 4 out
of 11 criteria such as malar rash, discoid rash, photosensitivity, oral ulcers, arthritis,
serositis, renal disorder, neurologic disorder, hematologic disorder, immunologic
disorder, and antinuclear antibody. Lupus has many different symptoms but the
common ones include fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes4.
There is no cure for lupus. Treatment depends on the type of symptoms and
how serious the disease is. The treatment usually uses medications like NSAID,
antimalarial drugs, corticosteroids, and immune suppressants.5
The aim of this paper is to report a case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a
9year and 7 months old Indonesian girl.
Case
JFS, 9 years and 7 months old Indonesian girl was admitted on the February , 28 th
2015 with a chief complaint of fever. The patient had fever for almost 10 days before
the day of admission. A high grade fever, mostly at evening and night and shivering
was notified (+) together with no convulsion (-). The fever was believed to have
subside upon the use fever relieving medicine. The patient also had cough (+) with
phlegm(+) for a duration of 7 days with no record of vomiting(-) and diarrhea(-) or
neither stomachache( -).Patient had a normal urination(+) and defecation(+) with n
abnormalities. History of past illness of patient was tat she was referred by a child
specialist from Mitra Sejati Hospital with a diagnoses of thypoid fever and
bronchopneumonia. Among the medicines that the patient has consumed were
Paracetamol, Ambroxol, Mullavit, Cefixime, Cetirizine, Hidrocortison Cream.
Physical Examination
General status
Body weight: 24 kg, Body length: 120 cm,
Body weight in 50th percentile according to age: 31 kg
Body length in 50th percentile according to age: 137 cm
Body weight in 50th percentile according to body length: 22 kg
BW/BL: 30,5/38 x 100% = 109,09%
BW/age: 24/31 x 100% = 77,41%
Icteric sclera (-/-). Light reflex (+/+). Face edema (-).Inferior and superior palpebra
edema (-/-).
Ears and nose : Within normal limit
Mouth
Neck :
Lymph node enlargement (+), right = 4 nodes, ( 1 x 1 cm), left = 3 nodes ( 1 x 1
cm), immobile
Thorax:
Symmetric fusiformis. Chest retraction (-). HR: 82 x/i, regular, murmur (-). RR: 24
x/i, reguler, ronchi (-). Breath sound: vesicular. Additional sound (-).
Abdomen:
Soepel.Liver and spleen unpalpable, Skin pinch returns quickly, Shifting dullness (-),
Double sound (-), Ascites (-)
Extremities:
Pulse 82 x/i, regular, adequate pressure and volume, warm, CRT < 3. Pitting edema
(-), Lupus Discoid (+)
Skin:
Macula erythematosus, hyperpigmentation on face, chest, back, and on upper arm of
both hands. Arcus silialis silialis (+), skuama (+), erythema (+) on oral mucosa and
lips, white patches on buccal (+) and malar rash (+)
Differential Diagnosis:
-
Thypoid fever
+ drug eruption
Working Diagnosis:
-
Thypoid fever
Management:
-
Diagnostic Planning:
-
Complete urinalysis
Blood clinical chemistry
Consult to allergic and immunologic specialist
Laboratory finding :
February, 28th 2015
(Urinalysis)
-All components like colour, glucose levels, bilirubin levels, keton and others were in
normal values expect for there was blood (+) and protein (++) in the urin.
FOLLOW UP
Neck
Mouth
: Pale mucosa (-), oral ulcer(+)
Lymph node enlargement (+), right = 4 nodes, ( 1 x 1 cm), left = 3
Thorax
Abdomen
sound (-)
Soepel.Liver and spleen unpalpable, Skin pinch returns quickly, Shifting
A
P
rash (+).
Thypoid fever + drug eruption + DD/ - LupusManagement:
-
Diagnostic Planning:
-
ANA test
Anti ds DNA test
March, 3rd 2015
S Fever (+)
O Cons: alert, Temp: 38,2 oC
Body weight: 24 kg, Body length: 120 cm.
Head
Neck
Mouth
: Pale mucosa (-), oral ulcer (+)
Lymph node enlargement (+), right = 4 nodes, ( 1 x 1 cm), left = 3
Thorax
Abdomen
sound (-)
Soepel.Liver and spleen unpalpable, Skin pinch returns quickly, Shifting
A
P
rash (+).
- Lupus Management:
-
Diagnostic Planning:
-
(10.1
gr%),
hematocrite
(29.1%),
leukocyte
and
thrombosit
Neck
Thorax
Abdomen
sound (-)
Soepel.Liver and spleen unpalpable, Skin pinch returns quickly, Shifting
upper arm of both hands. Arcus silialis (+), skuama, discoid rash (+).
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Management:
-
Diagnostic Planning:
- Full Blood Count
- Blood Electrolytes
- Echocardiography,
Echocardiography
Result = Normal
March, 8 - 9th 2015
S Small rash on face (+), athralgia (+)
O Cons: alert, Temp: 36,9 oC
Body weight: 24 kg, Body length: 120 cm.
Head
Neck
Mouth
: Pale mucosa (-), oral ulcer (+)
Lymph node enlargement (+), right = 4 nodes, ( 1 x 1 cm), left = 3
Thorax
Abdomen
sound (-)
Soepel.Liver and spleen unpalpable, Skin pinch returns quickly, Shifting
A
P
mg, in 100 cc NaCl 0,9 %, every 8 hours finished in 1 hour, for 1 day
Inj. Ranitidin 25 mg/ 8 hr/IV
Methylprednisolon oral 1-1-1 (0.5mg/kg/bb/hr)
Diagnostic Planning:
-
Discussion
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your own body immune
system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect
many different body systems including your joints, skin, kidneys, brain and heart. It
can be mild to severe.There are many possible causes of SLE and current studies have
found that immune system dysfunction factors, genetic factors, environmental factors,
and hormonal factors do play an imporrtant role in provoking SLE.1
The pathogenesis of this disease starts when there is an immune responses
against endogenous nuclear antigens. Autoantigens released by apoptotic cells are
presented by dendritic cells to T cells leading to their activation. Activated T cells in
turn help B cells to produce antibodies to these self-constituents by secreting
cytokines such as interleukin 10 (IL10) and IL23 and by cell surface molecules such
as CD40L and CTLA-4. In addition to this antigen-driven T cell-dependent
production of autoantibodies, recent data support T cell-independent mechanisms of
B cell stimulation via combined B cell antigen receptor (BCR) and TLR signalling.
The pathogenesis of SLE involves a multitude of cells and molecules that participate
in apoptosis, innate and adaptive immune responses (table 1).Increased amounts of
apoptosis-related endogenous nucleic acids stimulate the production of IFN and
promote autoimmunity by breaking self-tolerance through activation of antigenpresenting cells. Once initiated, immune reactants such as immune complexes
amplify and sustain the inflammatory response.6
The patient was first diagnosed with thypoid fever which wasnt confirmed
and then with lupus due to the presence of 4 out of 11 criteria such as malar rash,
discoid rash, photosensitivity, oral ulcers, arthritis, serositis, renal disorder,
neurologic disorder, hematologic disorder, immunologic disorder, and antinuclear
antibody. Serological biomarkers hold a significant potential in diagnosis and
monitoring of SLE given that the pathogenesis is most likely the result of immune
dysregulation. Anti-double -stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) is highly specific for lupus,
with 70% of SLE patients being positive in comparison with only 0.5% of the healthy
population or those with other autoimmune diseases. In contrast, antinuclear antibody
is highly sensitive, being positive in 99% of SLE patients at some point in their
illness, but is also found in 32% of the general population at a 1:40 dilution and in 5%
at a 1:160 dilution.The search for biomarkers with higher sensitivity and specificity
continues with flow cytometric analysis of erythrocyte-bound complement activation
product C4d and complement receptor giving promising results. Despite advances it
must be recognized that there is no definitive laboratory test for the diagnosis or
monitoring of SLE and that all results must be viewed in the context of each
individual patients clinical course.4
Differential diagnosis from other polyarticular diseases affecting young
women, such as rheumatoid arthritis or Stills disease, may not be easy at the initial
stages. Other diseases to be considered include undifferentiated connective tissue
disease,
primary
Sjogrens syndrome,
primary
antiphospholipid
syndrome,
patients
presenting
with
neurological
symptoms,
infections,
There is no cure for SLE. Treatment depends on the type of symptoms and how
serious the disease is. The treatment usually uses medications like NSAID,
antimalarial drugs, corticosteroids, and immune suppressants.2 Current treatment of
SLE has improved survival rate dramatically, prolonged and complete remission
defined as 5 years without clinical and laboratory evidence of active disease.6
Conclusions
It has been reported, a young girl, 9 years 7 months old with the main complaint fever
and was diagnosed with SLE. The diagnose was established based on history taking,
clinical manifestations, and laboratory finding. The patient got Methylprenidsolon
injection for three days and ranitidin injection, followed by cyclophospamide
chemotherapy for 1 day. Then the patient got methylprenidsolon oral 1-1-1 along with
antasida, parasol cream, and kenalog for mouth and still need to be followed up.
References
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In: Ruddy S, Harris ED, Sledge CB, Kelley WN, eds. Kelleys Textbook
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Lupus
Erythematosus
Guidelines.
Arthritis
Rheum
1999;42:1785-96.
6. Robert M. Kliegman, MD, Bonita M.D. Stanton, MD, Joseph St Geme,
Nina Schor, MD, Phd. Nelson Textbook Of Pediatrics Diseases 19th
Edition.