Deforming arthropathy in SLE: review in the literature apropos of one case.

Among the clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus is an arthropathy, which is usually non-erosive. In many cases, the joint involvement is mild. A subset of patients has deforming, non-erosive Jaccoud's arthropathy, and a minority have an arthropathy with clinical findings similar to rheumatoid arthritis that has been called "rhupus". We report a case of a 48-year-old female rhupus patient. The lack of clinical criteria for this rheumatic condition has created confusion in the characterization of this disorder. Thus, more effort is needed to establish a potential and clear definition for rhupus.

Deforming arthropathy in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease characterized by a variety of symptoms, including arthropathy. The clinical presentation of joint involvement varies, ranging from arthralgia without erosions or deformity to an erosive arthropathy and severe functional disability. This paper reviews the main forms of deforming arthropathy observed in lupus patients. It includes a) non-erosive arthropathy (it is the most frequent form and characterized as Jaccoud's), b) erosive symmetrical polyarthritis with deformities similar to rheumatoid arthritis, named as rhupus, and c) mild deforming arthropathy. Even though enough such cases of patients have been reported in the international bibliography, no definite criteria for their diagnosis have been published yet. The use of contemporary radiological and immunological methods will facilitate their prevention and treatment.