A Challenging Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Status Epilepticus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder of unknown pathogenesis. In SLE, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs thereby involving multiple body systems including joints, skin, blood, brain, heart, and lungs. SLE has a wide variation in the symptoms, hence making the diagnosis more challenging at the time of initial presentation. Sometimes, the patient presents with Status epilepticus (SE) without prior history of epilepsy, as SE is common at the beginning in the course of SLE. In this report, there is a case showing correlation of seizures with SLE, without prior history of epilepsy. A 43-year-old female presented in the emergency department of the hospital with SE. Her previous medical and family history for epilepsy was unremarkable. The patient had high titers for positive anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), while other autoimmune workup was negative. A complete evaluation of the symptoms and investigations revealed that she met the criteria of American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for the diagnosis of SLE. Hence, physicians should be diligent with regards to the variations in the initial presentation and complications of SLE. With the advancement in treatment modalities of SLE, it can be managed successfully, if diagnosed early.