Lupus myelopathy in a child.
A 5-year-old female developed, after a 7-month period of fever, anorexia, weight loss, and a transitory cutaneous erythematous eruption, a severe acute transverse myelopathy, with a partial recovery of motor and sensory function. She had positive antinuclear and antidouble-stranded DNA antibodies but no antiphospholipid antibodies. Six months later she had massive proteinuria and restarted treatment with steroids and cyclophosphamide. Our patient is one of the youngest reported with lupus myelopathy. We discuss the clinical presentation, the magnetic resonance imaging findings, and other relevant laboratory studies of this rare but serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Vieira
José Pedro
JP
Neurology Department, Hospital de Dona Estefânia, Lisbon, Portugal.
Ortet
Oscar
O
Barata
Deolinda
D
Abranches
Margarida
M
Gomes
J Melo
JM
D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*