[Headache in systemic lupus erythematosus]

This study was conducted to analyse the prevalence and features of headache in patients with SLE. 44 patients with SLE were reviewed retrospectively. The mean age of the patients was 43.8 +/- 11.5 years (r: 22-68), mean time of evolution of SLE was 11.8 +/- 9.0 years (r: 1-30). 28 patients (27 woman and 1 man) had clinical evidence of central nervous system involvement, 18 patients (40.9%) had headache; 6 (33.4%) being vascular, 3 (16.7%) migraine, 9 (50%) muscle contraction headache. In 4 patients headache started before the other signs or symptoms of SLE, in 8 patients headache appeared in the first year of the disease. In the patients with headache other manifestations of nervous system involvement were present very often. Most patients had more than one symptom or sign during the course of the illness. The results of our examination showed that headache is frequent in the course of SLE and probably it is connected with vascular lesion of the nervous system. We failed to find a relationship between headache and other manifestations of SLE and the treatment of SLE.