Tuberculosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
In a retrospective analysis of 146 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients seen over a 5 year period, 17 patients of tuberculosis (TB) were identified yielding a prevalence rate of 11.6%. The median duration of SLE was 12 months (range 2-96 months) and 12/17 patients had disease activity score of more than five. The median duration of steroid treatment was 12 months (range 0-96 months) and the median cummulative dose of steroid was 7.75 gms (range 0-22.1 gms). Pulmonary TB (miliary-5, nonmiliary infiltrates-7 and pleural effusion-2) was the commonest type and there was an average diagnostic delay of approximately 1 month. While, majority of the patients responded adequately to treatment, 1 patient had a relapse and 1 expired due to a combination of active lupus and disseminated TB. Only 1 patient had received prophylactic isoniazid.
Rheumatology Unit, PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Veer Savarkar Marg, Mahim, Mumbai-400 016.
C
C
Balakrishnan
G
G
Mangat
G
G
Mittal
V R
VR
Joshi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology
D000995:Antitubercular Agents