BACKGROUND Soluble Fas (sFas) is a marker of apoptosis that appears to increase in the serum of systemic lupus erythematosus patients and may have a correlation with disease activity. The exact role of sFas in apoptosis is not clear. The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between serum levels of soluble Fas (Apo/1-CD95) and the activity of systemic lupus erythematosus. METHODS...

Aplastic anemia is a bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by peripheral cytopenias and hypocellular bone marrow. Although aplastic anemia is idiopathic in most cases, rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus are recognized as causes of aplastic anemia, with their possible etiological mechanisms being T and B lymphocyte dysfunction and pro-inflammatory cytokines and autoanti...

The combination of systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's disease and severe diffuse glomerular nephritis has only rarely been reported. A 14-year-old girl is described with lupus nephritis in whom co-existent clinical and histological features of Sjogren's syndrome were found. These include bilateral parotid enlargement, xerostomia, increased serum amylase, reduced salivary secretion and lymp...

We describe a 34 year old woman who presented initially with a progressive pseudobulbar palsy. A delay of five months occurred before a diagnosis of cerebral systemic lupus erythematosus was made. Currently available investigations for cerebral systemic lupus erythematosus are evaluated and the need for an easily performed specific diagnostic test is discussed.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multifactorial autoimmune disease with an as yet unknown etiopathogenesis. It is widely thought that self-immunization in systemic lupus is driven by defective clearance of dead and dying cells. In lupus patients, large numbers of apoptotic cells accumulate in various tissues including germinal centers. In the present review, we discuss the danger signals relea...

We present a 12-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus and associated antiphospholipid syndrome who developed an unusual manifestation of purpura fulminans in an accelerated fashion. The patient improved after prompt treatment with anticoagulants, aggressive immunosuppressive drugs and plasmapheresis. This is the first pediatric case of purpura fulminans due to secondary antiphospholip...

Introduction Hippocampal atrophy is associated with corticosteroid use and may be related to cognitive impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Some biomarkers associated with neuronal injury have been associated with neuropsychiatric SLE, but their roles in the pathogenesis and its validity and clinical applicability has not been studied in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus...

A 21-year-old woman with long-standing systemic lupus erythematosus developed extensive calcification of the soft tissues of the thoracic and abdominal walls and extremities early in her illness, and these calcifications gradually disappeared over the course of her disease. The extent of this calcinosis and apparent spontaneous regression are unusual events in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus is a rare blistering condition with a distinctive combination of clinical, histological and immunopathologic features that together constitute a unique bullous disease phenotype. It is often associated with autoimmunity to type VII collagen. Here we report a child who presented with bullous systemic lupus erythematosus. Rapid resolution of the blisters occur...

Libman-Sacks endocarditis is a classic but rarely symptomatic manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, and valvular surgery is needed in a few cases. We present a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and Libman-Sacks endocarditis that progressed rapidly to severe mitral regurgitation that needed surgery; surgical valve repair was decided upon. The literature on this topic is reviewed.