Systemic lupus erythematosus in a premature infant

✍ Scribed by Nancy P. Cummings; Jeffrey Hansen; J. Roger Hollister

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 262 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780280518

✦ Synopsis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in young children is a rare occurrence (1-3). In 101 patients evaluated at the Mayo Clinic between 1945 and 1970, only 9 children were under 9 years of age at the time of diagnosis (3). To date, the youngest patient described with a definite diagnosis of SLE presented at 11 months of age (4). We report a case of a premature infant who at age 3 months developed signs and symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of SLE.

Case report. The infant, a male weighing 920 gm, was born to a 24-year-old healthy mother in January 1982. The pregnancy was uneventful until 2 months prior to delivery when the mother fell and experienced spontaneous onset of labor. A cesarean section for a double footling breech presentation was performed. Apgar scores were 0 at 5 and 10 minutes and 5 at 20 minutes. Estimated gestational age was 28 weeks. The neonatal course was complicated by hyperbilirubinemia which was treated with phototherapy, respiratory distress syndrome requiring intubation and ventilation, and pneumothorax requiring thoracostomy tube insertion, a patent ductus arteriosus which required surgical ligation, and intraventricular hemorrhage with resultant mild hydrocephalus.

During the first 2 months of the infant's life,