Liver in Systemic Lupus Erythematous: Clinicopathological analysis of 8 cases

ABSTRACT

Hepatic changes in eight cases of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), were studied to evaluate the nature of hepatic injury of SLE and its relation to lupoid hepatitis. Common histologic changes of the liver in SLE included intralobular necro-inflammatory activities, fatty change, canalicular bile stasis and mild perivenular and Disse space fibrosis. The fatty change and intralobular fibrosis were thought not to be due to SLE itself but associated with steroid administration or chronic alcoholic consumption. The necro-inflammatory changes were usually mild and features of chronic active hepatitis with periportal destruction occured in one case. Symptoms related to the involvement of many other organs than the liver appeared much frequently in patients with SLE than lupoid hepatitis, suggesting that the SLE involving liver and the lupoid hepatitis are different diseases.