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 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: 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 [...]

Case Presentation: A 56-year-old Caucasian female with history of mechanical aortic and mitral valves on chronic warfarin therapy, atrial fibrillation, and questionable history of SLE was admitted to the intensive care unit for emergent splenectomy following a motor vehicle accident. After initially being sent home from a regional hospital, she was diagnosed five days later [...]

Case Presentation: A 66-year-old female with a history of hypertension presented to the emergency department with one week of lower extremity edema, nausea, and vomiting. On admission, the patient was found to be hyponatremic, hypoalbuminemic, with nephrotic range proteinuria (urine protein-to-creatinine ratio of 8.5 g/g) and acute kidney injury. During the hospital course, the patient’s [...]