Spontaneous splenic artery hemorrhage with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome in lupus: a case report

Spontaneous hemorrhage is a rare complication of lupus. We describe a 36-year old female with lupus who suffered spontaneous, nontraumatic hemorrhage from branches of the splenic artery with massive blood loss while being treated for a lupus flare. We compare this to the two other reported cases of similar lupus-associated splenic artery hemorrhage documented in the literature, both of which had significant pre-existing hemorrhagic risk factors. Spontaneous, nontraumatic hemorrhage of the splenic artery in the absence of risk factors, and in a patient with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome, has been previously undescribed in lupus.