The pathogenesis of central nervous system manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus

✍ Scribed by Nathan J. Zvaifler; Harry G. Bluestein

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 533 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780250730

✦ Synopsis

Postmortem examination o f t h e b r a i n s o f p a t i e n t s d y i n g w i t h SLE have, i n general, been l i m i t e d t o l i g h t microscopy. The two l a r g e s t s t u d i e s , a l t h o u g h separated by more t h a n t e n years, a r e remarkably s i m i l a r ( 1 , Z ) .

They found t h a t i n f l a m m a t o r y c e l l i n f i l t r a t e s and f i b r i n o i d n e c r o s i s o f t h e w a l l s o f small and medium s i z e d a r t e r i e s , so t y p i c a l i n t h e k i d n e y and o t h e r systemic l e s i o n s o f SLE, a r e o n l y o c c a s i o n a l l y seen i n t h e b r a i n .

More o f t e n , t h e r e were d e g e n e r a t i v e and p r o l i f e r a t i v e changes i n small vessels, s i m i l a r t o those of h y p e r t e n s i v e encephal opathy and t h r a n b o t i c thrombocytopenic purpura. S c a t t e r e d about t h e c e r e b r a l c o r t e x were m i c r o i n f a r c t s and g l i o s i s around s m a l l b l o o d vessels.

A f f e c t e d a r t e r i o l e s showed t h i c k e n i n g