The Great Imitator Strikes Again: A Case of a Lupus Flare-up Presenting Like an Acute Abdomen

Authors

Emmanouil Kiriakopoulos, UCF/HCA - North Florida Regional Medical CenterFollow
Vanessa Perez, Nemours Children's Hospital
Robyn Hoelle, UCF/HCA - North Florida Regional Medical CenterFollow

Keywords

SLE; lupus; pediatrics; acute abdomen; peritonitis; lupus peritonitis; appendicitis; systemic lupus erythematosus

Disciplines

Emergency Medicine | Immune System Diseases | Interprofessional Education | Pediatrics | Rheumatology | Surgery

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease affecting all age groups and can manifest in various forms, often making the initial or successive presentations difficult to diagnose. Peritonitis secondary to lupus is a rare manifestation of this disease and the prevalence is said to be much lower in children. We present a case report of an adolescent male with a known history of lupus who presented to the emergency department with a clinical picture consistent with an acute surgical abdomen and underwent an appendectomy. Subsequent workup identified the culprit as a lupus-related peritonitis requiring corticosteroids for resolution.

Recommended Citation

Kiriakopoulos, Emmanouil; Perez, Vanessa; and Hoelle, Robyn (2020) "The Great Imitator Strikes Again: A Case of a Lupus Flare-up Presenting Like an Acute Abdomen," HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 6.
DOI: 10.36518/2689-0216.1012
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.hcahealthcare.com/hcahealthcarejournal/vol1/iss1/6