Malignant histiocytosis as a fatal complication of systemic lupus erythematosus

Arthritis Rheum. 1991 Dec;34(12):1557-9. doi: 10.1002/art.1780341213.

Abstract

We present the case of a 26-year-old Caucasian woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) of 9 years duration, mainly involving the kidney. Her clinical course was complicated in the last year by several infectious and noninfectious events, and after pancytopenia, fever, and extremely high levels of lactate dehydrogenase developed, the woman died. Light and electron microscopy of bone marrow, together with immunophenotyping, disclosed malignant histiocytosis, a complication of SLE that has not been reported.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bone Marrow / ultrastructure
  • Female
  • Fever / complications
  • Histiocytic Sarcoma / blood
  • Histiocytic Sarcoma / etiology*
  • Histiocytic Sarcoma / mortality
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Kidney / pathology
  • L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / blood
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / blood
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / complications*
  • Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / pathology
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Pancytopenia / complications

Substances

  • L-Lactate Dehydrogenase