Research Day
A NOVEL PRESENTATION OF CHILDHOOD SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS IN A 6-YEAR-OLD CHILD
Document Type
Abstract
Date
2021
Abstract
Background: Childhood systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the formation of autoantibodies that most often presents in children around the age of 12. Diagnosis is often challenging and lengthy due to the waxing and waning nature of the disease. SLE is found to be comorbid with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) in 30-40% of patients. APS can lead to the formation of thromboses although rare, occurring in only 4% of patients. Furthermore, development of thrombosis in the pediatric population is extremely rare occurring in 0.1/10,000 individuals.
Case History: Here we describe the case of a 6-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain, arthralgia, fever, right foot pain and numbness. She was diagnosed with a right popliteal artery thrombus. Further testing revealed an abundance of autoantibodies including antinuclear (ANA), lupus anticoagulant (LA), and anticardiolipin (aCL) which resulted in a diagnosis of cSLE with associated APS.
Discussion: This case describes a novel presentation of disease due to the young age of the patient at disease onset, the presence of concurrent cSLE and APS at initial diagnosis and the development of an arterial thrombosis in a child. While cSLE can be difficult to diagnose in the absence of characteristic symptoms, the unusual presentation of our patient further complicated diagnosis even when multiple symptoms aligned with a cSLE diagnosis. Awareness of the potential for onset of cSLE in children significantly younger than the average age can lead to more expeditious testing and diagnosis, resulting in better outcomes and patient care.