[Transverse myelitis and systemic lupus erythematosus. A case report]

This study presents the case of a 32 year-old patient carrying a belatedly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who suddenly developed transverse myelitis. This complication had been preceded a few hours earlier by a sole neurological disorder consisting in a universal nystagmus. This neurological condition was accompanied by a renal syndrome revealed by a nephritic sediment with scarce functional repercussions. The patient was treated with a combination of high doses of methylprednisone and cyclophosphamide. The central neurological and renal disorder remitted, but it was impossible to reverse the patient's paraplegia, which became permanent. This paper includes a review of the 46 cases of transverse myelitis and SLE published so far with regard to diagnosis, treatment and results, a comparison with the case under study, and the conclusions drawn.