A case of rheumatoid arthritis complicated by systemic lupus erythematosus during the treatment with etanercept

Abstract

    There have been several reports that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may develop after administration of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents though lupus nephritis is rarely occurs in such case. Here a case of 35-year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis is presented. She had been treated with etanercept for 3 months because of resistance to salazosulfapyridine, when fever, skin rash, stomatitis and proteinuria occurred and she was diagnosed as having SLE with lupus nephritis. These findings suggest that we should pay attention to the possibility of manifestation of SLE including various clinical findings of SLE or presence of serum anti-nuclear antibodies during the treatment with TNF-α.