scholarly journals Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus in a geriatric patient: A case report

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Shalini Sri Kumaran ◽  
Annie Hui Nee Law

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem connective tissue disorder with varied clinical presentations with late onset SLE occurring after the age of 50. Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in SLE may range from non-focal symptoms of cognitive dysfunction, an acute confusional state, to focal symptoms of transient ischaemic attacks and strokes.  We report a case of an elderly male who presented with confusion, functional decline and fevers. On admission, he was febrile with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 11 with no other focal neurological or systemic examination findings. Initial investigations pointed towards a diagnosis of possible tuberculous meningitis with a differential diagnosis of unidentified sepsis and malignancy still being entertained. However, a newly developed purpuric skin rash helped clinch the diagnosis of SLE and he was finally diagnosed as a case of late-onset neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). He was started on intravenous (IV) hydrocortisone which was later switched to a tapering dose of oral prednisolone and made a significant improvement. 

Author(s):  
Stephanie de Montjoye ◽  
Benoit Boland ◽  
Jacqueline Van Raemdonck ◽  
Frederic Houssiau

While functional decline is a common syndrome in geriatric medicine, the diagnosis of the underlying disease can be complex. We present a case of very late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus with fever, arthritis, lymphadenopathy, sicca syndrome, pleurisy, renal impairment and reversible functional and cognitive impairments. Prompt improvement was observed on prednisolone and hydroxychloroquine.


Cytokine ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunihiro Ichinose ◽  
Kazuhiko Arima ◽  
Masataka Umeda ◽  
Shoichi Fukui ◽  
Ayako Nishino ◽  
...  

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 771-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Takahashi ◽  
Tsuyoshi Rai ◽  
Michio Onizawa ◽  
Kyoko Monoe ◽  
Yukiko Kanno ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 604.1-604
Author(s):  
R. Monahan ◽  
A. Blonk ◽  
H. Middelkoop ◽  
M. Kloppenburg ◽  
T. Huizinga ◽  
...  

Background:The presence of a ‘fog’ is frequently reported by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, little is known about this lupus fog: it is thought to be a result of cognitive dysfunction, but fogs can also be the result of dissociation. The Dissociative Experience Scale-II (DES) is a standardized tool to study dissociation. In the general adult population, scores range from 4.4-14.1-3Objectives:We aimed to study the prevalence of dissociative symptoms including dissociative fog in patients with SLE and neuropsychiatric symptoms.Methods:Patients visiting the tertiary referral center for neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) of the LUMC between 2007-2019 were included. All patients underwent a standardized multidisciplinary assessment. Patients were classified as NPSLE if neuropsychiatric symptoms were attributed to SLE and immunosuppressive or anticoagulant therapy was initiated, otherwise patients were classified as minor/non-NPSLE. Dissociation was studied using the DES. The DES separates different types of dissociative symptoms: amnesia, absorption/imagination and derealization/depersonalization. It also contains one question regarding evaluating the presence of a dissociative fog: “Some people sometimes feel as if they are looking at the world through a fog, so that people and objects appear far away or unclear”. All statements (n = 28) regarding dissociative symptoms are rated from ‘none of the time’ to ‘all of the time’ (0-100%); scores >25 are considered abnormal. A multiple regression analysis (MRA) were performed to compare dissociation in patients with and without NPSLE. DES results are presented as median (range) and MRA as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).Results:DES questionnaires were available for 337 patients, of which 97 had the diagnosis NPSLE (29%). Mean age in patients with NPSLE was 41 ± 13 years and 84% was female. In minor/non-NPSLE, median age was 44 ± 14 years and 87% was female.Median dissociation was 7 (0-75) and did not differ between patients with minor/non-NPSLE and NPSLE (OR: 1.0 (95% CI: -0.9; 1.1)). The most common type of dissociation was absorption/imagination (median: 12, range 0-75) and depersonalization/derealization was infrequent (median: 1, range 0-84). 43 patients (13%) had an abnormal score (>25) on the dissociative fog question.Conclusion:Dissociative symptoms are within normal range in patients with SLE and neuropsychiatric symptoms, regardless of underlying etiology. Dissociative fog seems uncommon and therefore lupus fog is most likely not the result of dissociation.References:[1]Bernstein EM and Putnam FW. Development, reliability, and validity of a dissociation scale. J Nerv Ment Dis 1986; 174: 727-735. 1986/12/01. DOI: 10.1097/00005053-198612000-00004.[2]Maaranen P, Tanskanen A, Honkalampi K, et al. Factors associated with pathological dissociation in the general population. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2005; 39: 387-394. 2005/04/30. DOI: 10.1080/j.1440-1614.2005.01586.x.[3]van IJzendoorn MH and Schuengel C. The measurement of dissociation in normal and clinical populations: Meta-analytic validation of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Clinical Psychology Review 1996; 16: 365-382. DOI: 10.1016/0272-7358(96)00006-2.Table 1.Presence of dissociation in patients with SLE and neuropsychiatric symptomsTotal cohort(n = 337)Minor/non-NPSLE(n = 240)NPSLE(n = 97)DES (median, range)Total questionnaire7 (0 - 75)8 (0 - 66)6 (0 – 75)Amnesia5 (0 - 76)5 (0 - 68)4 (0 - 76)Absorption/imagination12 (0 – 75)13 (0 – 75)10 (0 – 73)Depersonalization/derealization1 (0 – 84)1 (0 – 73)1 (0 – 84)Dissociative fog* 0 (0-100)0 (0-100)0 (0-100)DES = Dissociative Experience Scale NPSLE = neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.*Dissociative fog is question 28 of the DES-IIDisclosure of Interests:None declared


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