Rhupus syndrome presenting with anterior scleritis and lupus nephritis: A case report

Rhupus syndrome is a rare disease that presents with features of both rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. It is typically characterized by a rheumatoid arthritis pattern of symmetric, polyarticular small joint pain and swelling along with features of lupus such as photosensitive skin rashes and hematologic abnormalities. The disease is rare and inclusion criteria are mixed, but diagnosis is generally based on clinical features in conjunction with positive serologic lab results for both diseases. Severity can vary from benign to severe manifestations, rarely including anterior scleritis. We describe a case of a 20-year-old female with recently diagnosed inflammatory arthritis who presented with severe bilateral anterior scleritis and lupus nephritis, who achieved complete remission following treatment with high-dose intravenous glucocorticoids.