Systemic lupus erythematosus and myoclonic epileptic manifestations

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) frequently involves the central nervous system (CNS) and, in fact, epileptic manifestations may be one of the earliest symptoms of SLE. These early occurrences of epilepsy, however, can easily be misdiagnosed as indication of pure epileptic syndrome when the SLE diagnosis is still largely incomplete. We present a young girl who developed myoclonic photosensitive seizures at the onset of the illness, erroneously diagnosed as manifestation of a "pure" epileptic syndrome. Shortly after the onset of an anticonvulsant therapy (lamotrigine), there was a remarkable impairment of the general clinical condition: at that time a diagnosis of SLE was made and a specific treatment began. However, the seizures persisted and evolved toward status epilepticus which needed pentobarbitone therapy in an intensive care unit (ICU). After recovery, the girl gradually got better and during the 23 months of follow-up she received only corticosteroid therapy and did not experience seizures nor SLE relapses.