ABSTRACT
The relevance of polyautoimmunity, defined as the presence of 2or more autoimmune diseases in the same individual, is one of the issues not yet elucidated in medical practice. The coexistence of myasthenia gravis (MG) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinical challenge due to the possible differential diagnoses of muscle involvement in patients with SLE. We present the case of a patient who came to the emergency room of Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogotá, Colombia, with a previous diagnosis of SLE, who developed acute weakness in the context of a systemic infection, with a clinical and electrophysiological diagnosis of MG.
Subject(s)
Autoimmunity , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Myasthenia Gravis/complications , Female , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/immunology , Myasthenia Gravis/immunology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Resumen: Comunicamos el caso de una mujer en la cuarta década de la vida con antecedentes personales de artritis reumatoide y vitíligo, quien acudió a consulta por síndrome anémico. En su abordaje diagnóstico encontramos concentraciones bajas de vitamina B12 y anticuerpos contra factor intrínseco positivos con lo que llegamos al diagnóstico de anemia perniciosa. Este caso apoya la definición del término de síndrome de poliautoinmunidad en el que existe asociación entre diferentes enfermedades autoinmunitarias sin relación comprobada previamente.
Abstract: We report the case of a woman in the fourth decade of life with previous medical history of rheumatoid arthritis and vitiligo who presented with anemic syndrome. In the diagnostic workup we found low levels of vitamin B12 and positive intrinsic factor antibodies that corroborate the diagnosis of pernicious anemia. This clinical case supports the definition of polyautoimmune syndrome in which there is a link between different autoimmune diseases without a previous known relation.