Gastrointestinal manifestations

GI disturbances are common in SLE patients and may be due to primary gastrointestinal disorders, complications of therapy or SLE itself (1).

GI manifestations in SLE include:

• oral ulceration - is a common feature
• nausea, vomiting, or anorexia occur in about 20% of cases
• abdominal pain - may be due to active lupus, including peritonitis, pancreatitis, mesenteric vasculitis, and bowel infarction
• jaundice - due to autoimmune hepatitis (1)
• ascites is rare but often massive
• hepatomegaly occurs in about 30% of cases
• splenomegaly occurs in about 20% of cases and is unusually associated with haemolytic anaemia

Reference:

• (1) Cojocaru M et al.Manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. Maedica (Buchar). 2011;6(4):330-6.