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Reminder of important clinical lesson
Case report
Rare case of bilateral wrist and foot drop from SLE-related vasculitic polyneuropathy
  1. Soujanya Sodavarapu1,
  2. Rajani Rudrangi2 and
  3. Jeffrey Hoffman3
  1. 1Internal Medicine, San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp, California, USA
  2. 2Rheumatology, San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp, California, USA
  3. 3Department of Neuropathology, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Soujanya Sodavarapu; docsouji{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous, chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease characterised by multiorgan involvement and the production of multiple autoantibodies. Neurological manifestations in SLE patients are frequently reported—the prevalence is 37%–90%. We present a unique case where the patient presented with bilateral wrist and foot drop for 4 days, which later led to the diagnosis of SLE-related vasculitic polyneuropathy. During the course of treatment, the patient received prednisone, rituximab and hydroxychloroquine. At 6-month follow-up, patient had reported significant improvement in her weakness with increased mobility in upper and lower extremities. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary in these cases to prevent disease progression and morbidity.

  • vasculitis
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • peripheral nerve disease

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2019-232890

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors SS, RR and JH made a significant contribution to the data acquisition. SS worked on data analysis and interpretation, drafted and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.