Hydroxychloroquine-induced depressive disorder in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus:case report and literature review / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Three patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) were admitted in Lanzhou University Second Hospitalbetween May 2013 and October 2017, the patients were treated with hydroxychloroquine(HCQ) for SLE. Patients had no neuropsychiatric symptoms before HCQ treatment, depressive symptoms occurred in 2 cases when the SLE was stable, and 1 case had renal function damage and depressive symptoms. The diagnosis of depression was confirmed in all 3 cases. The treatment for neuropsychiatric lupus was given but of no effect, while the symptoms disappeared after withdraw of HCQ. There is no difference in clinical manifestations between HCQ-caused depressive disorder and depression in neuropsychiatric lupus, but the treatment is different.The literature was searched from 1992 to 2018, and 4 cases of neuropsychiatric disorders caused by HCQ were reported, of which 3 were diagnosed as SLE, and 1 case was chronic Q fever. When depression appears in SLE patients receiving HCQ, HCQ would be the cause and the medication of HCQ should be withdrawn if necessary.