Ectopic calcinosis possibly due to 1 alpha (OH) vitamin D3 in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

A 30-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed ectopic calcinosis. She had been receiving prednisolone since 1980 with the addition of vitamin D3 in 1986. Despite this therapy, her renal function had gradually deteriorated. Right gonalgia was noted in September 1991. X-ray findings revealed calcinosis of the arteries of the femur, poplitea, cubitus, hands, and feet. Her finger pads and joint sacs were also involved. Calcinosis seen in SLE has only rarely been reported, and that observed in association with vitamin D intoxication or arteriosclerosis has a different distribution of calcium deposits. The use of vitamin D3 in our patient with renal disability may have induced calcinosis with a unique distribution.