title: Association between ulcerative colitis and systemic lupus erythematosus: report of two cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Common aetiopathogenic factors may explain the association of ulcerative colitis with autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report two cases of ulcerative colitis associated with idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus: one patient who developed ulcerative colitis 11 years after having been diagnosed as a case of systemic lupus erythematosus and one case of simultaneous appearance of the two diseases. The lupus clinical manifestations were in neither case correlated with the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between ulcerative colitis and systemic lupus erythematosus is rare. Although a chance occurrence cannot be excluded it is possible that both conditions share some genetic or immunological defects.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Koutroubakis
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kritikos
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mouzas
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Spanoudakis
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kapsoritakis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petinaki
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Kouroumalis
authors.forename: O N
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Manousos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged