Tuberculosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Tuberculosis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was studied in a cohort of 311 patients seen between 1963 to 1979. There were 16 such patients, giving rise to a prevalence rate of 5%. The characteristics of SLE-associated tuberculosis include a high incidence of miliary and far-advanced pulmonary disease, delay in establishing diagnosis, especially the extrapulmonary form, and tendency to attribute symptoms like fever, malaise, and weight loss to the lupus process. Treatment was successful in 9 patients. Of the 7 death 5 were attributed directly to the mycobacterial infection and 2 to complications of SLE.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D014391:Tuberculosis, Miliary / Q000209:etiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology