MEDICAL PRACTICE A Rare Initial Manifestation of Systemic Lupus

Background: Acute pancreatitis as the initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been documented only nine times in the English literature. Methods: We report the case of a 25-year-old woman patient with fever, abdominal pain and vomit-ing, elevated levels of pancreatic enzymes, and various other laboratory abnormalities. Further investi-gation led to a diagnosis of SLE. A literature search, using the key words “systemic lupus erythemato-sus ” and “pancreatitis ” was undertaken. Results and Conclusions: The treatment of SLE pancreatitis is steroids, which is somewhat contro-versial because steroids have been implicated in the cause. SLE can involve any organ system. It is im-portant that the family physician, who treats patients as a whole, rules out SLE when a straightforward diagnosis is associated with inexplicable multiple concomitant abnormalities. (J Am Board Fam Pract 2003;16:334–8.) Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystemic autoimmune disorder characterized by a broad range of manifestations and the finding of antibod-ies in the blood directed against one or more com