Pulmonary involvement in childhood systemic lupus erythematosus

Twenty-four children (aged 6-15 years, M:F = 1:11) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who had respiratory symptoms, were retrospectively reviewed. Chest radiographs obtained from all patients revealed pleural effusion in 13, alveolar infiltration in 9, pericardial effusion and cardiomegaly in 6, interstitial infiltration in 4, hilar adenopathy in 3, lung abscess in 2 and pneumatocele with pneumothorax in 1. Etiologic organisms were identified in 7 cases; (3 cases of nocardia isolated from pleural effusion and sputum, 2 cases of tuberculosis, 1 case with staphylococcus aureus septicemia and 1 case with salmonella septicemia). All except one patient improved with medical treatment. One patient died from pneumonitis. Although pulmonary involvement is increasingly recognized in children with SLE, neither roentgenogram nor clinical findings were specific. The differentiation of pulmonary infiltrates caused by lupus lung disease from pulmonary infection should be carefully evaluated.