Successful use of intensive immunosuppressive therapy for treating simultaneously occurring cerebral lesions and pulmonary arterial hypertension in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

Intern Med. 2014;53(6):627-31. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.53.0514.

Abstract

A 59-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was admitted to our hospital due to paralysis in all of her limbs. The patient presented with dysarthria, cerebellar ataxia and hypoxia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed vasogenic edema in the brain stem and the cerebellum. She was diagnosed with neuropsychiatric lupus syndrome (NPSLE) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and was successfully treated using immunosuppressive therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of simultaneously developing NPSLE and PAH.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Brain Stem / pathology*
  • Cerebellum / pathology*
  • Edema / diagnosis*
  • Edema / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / complications
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / drug therapy*
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / immunology
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / pathology
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / complications*
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / drug therapy*
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / immunology
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / pathology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Middle Aged
  • Remission Induction
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents