scholarly journals Brain Abscess Due to Nocardia in a Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

2021 ◽  
pp. jrheum.210971
Author(s):  
Zhuoxuan Li ◽  
Dongling Li ◽  
Pan Lv ◽  
Jianping Liu

Nocardia brain abscesses mainly occur in immunosuppressive hosts1 and comprise only 2% of all intracranial abscesses. It is difficult to identify central nervous system infections in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus because of the silent clinical manifestations and their simulation of lupus encephalopathy.2

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-170
Author(s):  
A. V. Petrov ◽  
V. A. Beloglazov ◽  
D. V. Shadyro ◽  
A. R. Gafarova ◽  
A. A. Petrov

Objective: to assess the relationship between hematological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the early stage of the disease and development of other syndromes and symptoms of the disease, as well as the nature and severity of internal organs damage during the subsequent five-year period.Subjects and methods. The analysis of data of examination of 89 patients with SLE during the five-year period was carried out. The frequency of clinical manifestations of SLE, the level of antinuclear and antiphospholipid antibodies, SLICC/ACR damage index (SDI) depending on the presence of hematological manifestations of SLE in the onset of the disease including leukopenia (LP), thrombocytopenia (TP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AGA) were studied.Results and discussion. In the onset of SLE LP was observed in 21.3%, TP – in 26.9%, AGA – in 8.9% of patients. The presence of LP was associated with an increase of antibodies to SSA frequency, and TP – with more frequent detection of antibodies to Ro-52, cardiolipin and β-2-glycoprotein (p<0.05). Patients with TP in the onset of SLE compared with patients without hematological manifestations, had an increase (p<0.05) of the cumulative incidence of nephritis (83.3 and 42.9%), central nervous system lesions (70.8 and 26.5%), vasculitis (45.8 and 10.2%) and Libman-Sachs endocarditis (20.8 and 6.1%, respectively), which was accompanied by an increase of SDI values (median was 2.09 [2, 1.82; 2.21] and 1.12 [0.81; 1.32], p<0.05). In patients with LP, the cumulative incidence of pneumonitis and Sjogren's syndrome was increased in the onset of SLE compared with patients without hematological manifestations (15.8 vs 6.1% and 15.7 vs 2.0%, respectively, p<0.05).Conclusion. Presence of TP in the onset of SLE is a predictor of kidneys, central nervous system, peripheral vessels and heart valves damage during the next 5 years.


Lupus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 490-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
F M Ribeiro ◽  
F Signorelli

Opportunistic infections can cause manifestations that resemble neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus and they can also trigger lupus flares. Therefore, central nervous system infections as differential diagnosis in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus may be difficult, leading to delayed diagnosis and specific treatment. Central nervous system infection in systemic lupus erythematosus is not common but, if left misdiagnosed and not treated promptly, can be fatal. Complementary diagnosis tests are generally non-specific and disappointing. Caution with immunosuppressive drug treatment should be emphasized while an opportunistic infection cannot be ruled out. In this review, we discuss the various types of central nervous system infections reported in systemic lupus erythematosus patients, highlighting the importance of their early recognition in order to improve morbidity and mortality. Prevention with vaccination is a recommended approach.


Author(s):  
Elias Manca

AbstractSystemic lupus erythematosus is a complex immunological disease where both environmental factors and genetic predisposition lead to the dysregulation of important immune mechanisms. Eventually, the combination of these factors leads to the production of self-reactive antibodies that can target any organ or tissue of the human body. Autoantibodies can form immune complexes responsible for both the organ damage and the most severe complications. Involvement of the central nervous system defines a subcategory of the disease, generally known with the denomination of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus. Neuropsychiatric symptoms can range from relatively mild manifestations, such as headache, to more severe complications, such as psychosis. The evaluation of the presence of the autoantibodies in the serum of these patients is the most helpful diagnostic tool for the assessment of the disease. The scientific progresses achieved in the last decades helped researchers and physicians to discover some of autoepitopes targeted by the autoantibodies, although the majority of them have not been identified yet. Additionally, the central nervous system is full of epitopes that cannot be found elsewhere in the human body, for this reason, autoantibodies that selectively target these epitopes might be used for the differential diagnosis between patients with and without the neuropsychiatric symptoms. In this review, the most relevant data is reported with regard to mechanisms implicated in the production of autoantibodies and the most important autoantibodies found among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with and without the neuropsychiatric manifestations.


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