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Fatal Disseminated Aspergillosis in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Rochelle Hardie1, Tracian James-Goulbourne2, Monsoon Rashid2

  • 1Division of Infection Disease, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.

Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
|March 18, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Systemic lupus erythematosus patients face high infection risks. Invasive fungal aspergillosis, difficult to diagnose, proved fatal in a patient, highlighting the need for early antifungal treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit heightened susceptibility to infections, including opportunistic pathogens.
  • Fungal infections pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, often leading to life-threatening outcomes.

Observation:

  • A case study involving a patient diagnosed with SLE who presented with respiratory distress (shortness of breath and cough).
  • The patient's clinical condition progressively worsened during hospitalization, culminating in acute respiratory failure and subsequent expiration.

Findings:

  • Postmortem examination revealed disseminated invasive fungal aspergillosis affecting multiple organs, including the heart, lungs, and brain.
  • The autopsy confirmed a severe, widespread fungal infection as the cause of death.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the critical need for prompt diagnosis and aggressive management of fungal infections in SLE patients.
  • Initiating empiric antifungal therapy earlier in the clinical course could potentially improve patient survival rates in similar complex cases.

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