Lupus erythematosus-like disease due to hydrazine

A case of systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease due to occupational exposure to hydrazine is described. The patient had four of the 1982 revised criteria for SLE (malar rash, photosensitivity, antinuclear antibody, and antibody to nDNA) and genetically is a slow acetylator with the HLA DR2,3 phenotype. Many of her healthy family members had antibodies to nuclear constituents. Lymphocytes from the patient and an identical twin sister, but not from three normal control subjects, showed inhibition of pokeweed mitogen-stimulated IgG synthesis after five daily exposures of each subject to hydrazine. Chemicals such as hydrazine in the environment can induce cases of SLE-like disease in predisposed persons.