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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Skin Biopsy for Diagnosing Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Published on: June 10, 2025
Drug-Induced Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Secondary to Sulfasalazine
Kristal Choi1, Linh Truong1, Yuna Kang2
1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.
None:
This is a rare case of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's disease who developed drug-induced subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DI-SCLE) while on sulfasalazine. Diagnosis was made by skin biopsy and confirmed by improvement of the rash with cessation of the offending medication. Sulfasalazine is implicated in drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE) but less so in DI-SCLE, although this may be in part due to underreporting from lack of biopsy confirmation and diagnostic uncertainty caused by the overlap in systemic and cutaneous lupus presentations. Drug-induced photosensitivity while on sulfasalazine and Sjögren syndrome-related antigen A (SSA) antibody positivity may have predisposed the patient to develop DI-SCLE in this case. It is always important to maintain a level of concern for drug-related adverse effects in a patient presenting with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) so that the offending drug can be promptly discontinued.
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