Case Presentation: A 17 y.o. female with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with several weeks of worsening migratory polyarthralgia, as well as sporadic fevers, night sweats, and chills. Prednisone was begun 3 weeks prior for a presumed SLE flare, given elevated anti double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and hematuria, but provided no [...]

Background: The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been profound, with significant disparities in infection and mortality rates, particularly in high-risk populations. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that complicates patient management in the context of COVID-19, given the increased risk of infections and limited guidance on pharmacological management. Methods: This [...]

Background: The Antinuclear Antibody test (ANA) is a test often positive in patients with autoimmune rheumatologic disorders. However, ANA testing can also be positive in non-rheumatic conditions and in healthy individuals1. Prior studies have focused on the clinical utility of positive ANA testing in the outpatient setting by non-rheumatologists, but less is known about its [...]

Case Presentation: A 10-year-old Hispanic female with 7 years of episodic cervical lymphadenopathy and fever, presented with typical episode, new abdominal pain and emesis. Review of systems was positive for weight loss, night sweats, and diarrhea; she denied rash, cough, sore throat, and arthralgia. History was notable for many prior antibiotics, recently azithromycin and fluconazole [...]

Case Presentation:   A 29-year-old African-American female presented with two weeks of left neck swelling and fever. Over four months, she had noted fatigue, cough, night sweats, and an unintentional 12-pound weight loss. Two empiric courses of antibiotics effected no clinical change. She had no toxic habits and was sexually active with one male partner. [...]

Case Presentation: We present an unusual case of a previously healthy patient presenting with a demyelinating polyneuropathy, which was determined to be the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).This was a 36 year-old female with an unremarkable past medical history who presented with leg weakness that progressively spread to her arms with associated tingling [...]

Cardiac involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is very common. Despite the relative frequency of pericarditis and pericardial effusions which occur in more than 50% of SLE patients, cardiac tamponade is rare and is seen in less than 3%. Additionally, there have been no consistent reliable predictors of tamponade development in such patients. We report [...]

Case Presentation: A 29-year-old female with history of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), hypertension, and cirrhosis presented to the ED with altered mental status and generalized weakness for 3 days. Physical exam revealed tachycardia, abdominal distension and tenderness, and weakness of her lower extremities. Labs showed WBC 17.2, total bilirubin 19.8, AST 106, ALT 19, and [...]

Case Presentation: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly known as lupus, is a multifaceted autoimmune disorder characterized by a myriad of clinical manifestations, including but not limited to fatigue, joint pain and swelling, and malar rash. Although a common cardiac manifestation of SLE is pericarditis, often accompanied by pericardial effusion, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is not [...]

Case Presentation: An 84 year old female with a past medical history significant for systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) presented to the emergency department with fatigue and dizziness. She had recently been admitted to the same hospital with acute kidney injury secondary to lupus nephritis. During that admission, she was started on high dose prednisone, a [...]