Psychosis in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are common; however, psychosis per se is bit uncommon. They may be cognitive deficit, lupus headache, psychoses, seizures, peripheral neuropathy, and cerebrovascular events. Psychiatric symptoms in SLE can be functionally independent psychiatric disorders. It can be due to drugs (steroids) used for SLE or secondary to SLE because of its brain involvement, which is termed as neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). No single clinical, laboratory, neuropsychological, and imaging test can be used to differentiate NPSLE from non-NPSLE patients with similar neuropsychiatric manifestations. Presently we are discussing about three cases of SLE with psychosis and which had different clinical presentation. The present reports also depict the approach to case differential diagnosis and management of the same.

Keywords

• Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus
• organic psychosis
• steroid psychosis
• systemic lupus erythematosus