ABSTRACT

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect any organ, including the nervous system. Estimates of the incidence and prevalence of neurologic and psychiatric symptoms in SLE patients vary widely, largely due to heterogeneity in definition and methodology. In total, studies report that approximately one-third to one-half of SLE patients have neurologic or neuropsychiatric symptomatology. For many of the phenotypic manifestations of neuropsychiatric SLE, no biomarker or diagnostic test is specific enough to link the neurological diagnosis to SLE. Myelitis in SLE is a rare but morbid condition that occurs in approximately 1 to 2 percent of SLE patients in some cohorts. In this case report, we aimed to present the diagnosis and treatment of transverse myelitis in a patient who presented with acute flaccid paralysis in the lower extremity.

Keywords: Systemic lupus erythematosus, neuropsychiatric involvement, myelitis