Successful Use of Intensive Immunosuppressive Therapy for Treating Simultaneously Occurring Cerebral Lesions and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Ryu Watanabe; Hiroshi Fujii; Tsuyoshi Shirai; Shinichiro Saito; Akira Hatakeyama; Koichiro Sugimura; Yoshihiro Fukumoto; Tomonori Ishii; Hideo Harigae

doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.53.0514

CASE REPORTS

Successful Use of Intensive Immunosuppressive Therapy for Treating Simultaneously Occurring Cerebral Lesions and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Ryu Watanabe, Hiroshi Fujii, Tsuyoshi Shirai, Shinichiro Saito, Akira Hatakeyama, Koichiro Sugimura, Yoshihiro Fukumoto, Tomonori Ishii, Hideo Harigae

Author information

Ryu Watanabe
Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Hiroshi Fujii
Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Tsuyoshi Shirai
Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Shinichiro Saito
Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Akira Hatakeyama
Division of Arthritis and Connective Tissue Diseases, Tohoku Rosai Hospital, Japan
Koichiro Sugimura
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Yoshihiro Fukumoto
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Tomonori Ishii
Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Hideo Harigae
Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Keywords: cerebral lesion, pulmonary arterial hypertension, systemic lupus erythematosus

JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2014 Volume 53 Issue 6 Pages 627-631

DOI https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.53.0514

Details

Abstract

A 59-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was admitted to our hospital due to paralysis in all of her limbs. The patient presented with dysarthria, cerebellar ataxia and hypoxia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed vasogenic edema in the brain stem and the cerebellum. She was diagnosed with neuropsychiatric lupus syndrome (NPSLE) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and was successfully treated using immunosuppressive therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of simultaneously developing NPSLE and PAH.

Corresponding author

Register with J-STAGE for free!