ABSTRACT
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune and multisystemic chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various organs, including skin, joints, kidneys, lungs and the nervous system. Infectious agents have long been implicated in the pathogenesis of SLE. The new viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has shown that, in genetically predisposed patients could trigger the presentation or exacerbation of the autoimmune disease. We herein report a case of a 45-year-old man who presented respiratory symptoms, bilateral pleural effusion, ascites, splenomegaly, severe thrombocytopenia and renal failure with proteinuria and hematuria. SARS-CoV-2 PCR confirmed the COVID-19 diagnosis. We diagnosed the patient with SLE based on the clinical manifestations and positive immunological markers (2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology, score of 18). Glucocorticoid pulses were administered to the patient, which improved renal function. However, thrombocytopenia was also refractory to IV immunoglobulin and rituximab, so the patient underwent splenectomy. Through a systematic search of the medical literature, we retrieved two cases with newly onset SLE and five cases with previous SLE diagnosis that showed activity of the disease due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We herein present a systemic review of these cases and discuss the clinical manifestations that could help to the diagnosis of this clinical condition.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/etiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Autoimmunity , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/drug therapy , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly affects the respiratory system, but the involvement of other organ systems has also been commonly reported. Acute acro-ischemia or chilblain like lesions were among the first recognized dermatological presentations of COVID-19. Though the occurrence of such lesions has been attributed to the similar interferon-1 mediated immune response in both COVID-19 and systemic lupus erythematosus, we propose another possible explanation based on a common genetic background. In a recent genome-wide association study, the 3p21.31 region was found to be associated with COVID-19 severity. This region also contains the TREX1 gene. Missense mutations of the TREX1 gene are responsible for familial chilblain lupus and its genetic polymorphisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Based on this observation, herein we have reviewed other COVID-19 risk loci for potential overlap with dermatological conditions.