Massive and painful ascites as a presenting manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus flare: a case report and literature review

Lupus peritonitis (LP) is extremely rare. Acute LP is characterized by rapid onset of ascites and severe abdominal pain, in addition to other well-recognized clinical features of a general systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) fare. Ascites associated with acute LP has been rarely reported as the prominent feature of a SLE fare. We report a 39-year-old woman who developed massive, painful ascites as the presenting manifestation of a SLE fare. Diagnostic workup ruled out the possibility of hepatic, cardiovascular, infectious, or malignant diseases, and confirmed the presence of a SLE fare. The patient was treated with methyl prednisolone and hydroxychloroquine resulting in dramatic improvement of her condition. During ambulatory follow up, she has remained asymptomatic up to the moment of this writing. Adrenal steroids and hydrocychloroquine may be useful for the management of SLE fares in patients with massive, painful ascites due to acute LP.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhou,Lei, Ming Sun,Chen, Li Chen,Wen, Zhang,Heng, Wang,Ping, Wu,Jie
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedad Médica de Santiago 2014
Online Access:http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-98872014000200016
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Lupus peritonitis (LP) is extremely rare. Acute LP is characterized by rapid onset of ascites and severe abdominal pain, in addition to other well-recognized clinical features of a general systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) fare. Ascites associated with acute LP has been rarely reported as the prominent feature of a SLE fare. We report a 39-year-old woman who developed massive, painful ascites as the presenting manifestation of a SLE fare. Diagnostic workup ruled out the possibility of hepatic, cardiovascular, infectious, or malignant diseases, and confirmed the presence of a SLE fare. The patient was treated with methyl prednisolone and hydroxychloroquine resulting in dramatic improvement of her condition. During ambulatory follow up, she has remained asymptomatic up to the moment of this writing. Adrenal steroids and hydrocychloroquine may be useful for the management of SLE fares in patients with massive, painful ascites due to acute LP.