To report a case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We also reviewed the medical literature for similar cases to assess the role of "lupus-specific antibodies" in the diagnosis of SLE in the presence of HIV infection.
We described the presentation, clinical course, and serologic studies of our patient and reviewed the English language medical literature from 1966 to 1999 using MEDLINE with the keywords "SLE," "HIV," "acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)," and "autoantibodies."
Our patient with long-standing HIV infection presented with fever, arthralgias and arthritis, photosensitive rash, oral ulcers, alopecia, headache, pleuritic chest pain, and lymphadenopathy. Laboratory testing showed leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, antibodies against ribonucleoprotein, Smith, and ribosomal-P, as well as immunoglobulin G anticardiolipin antibodies. Review of the literature revealed only 25 cases of concomitant SLE and HIV. In these cases, rheumatologic signs and symptoms were common in HIV and overlapped significantly with SLE. Autoantibodies also occurred frequently in both diseases.
There are very few reported cases of concomitant HIV and SLE. These diseases may be largely mutually exclusive, but distinguishing the two can be difficult because of the high degree of rheumatic complaints and autoantibodies in HIV-positive patients. As illustrated by the patient presented, SLE should be considered in HIV-positive patients with rheumatologic complaints.