Newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as cervical myelopathy: A rare case presentation

SLE is an autoimmune disease in which organ damage is mediated by auto-antibodies and immune complexes. Around 90% of patients are women of child bearing age. It is ~9 times more prevalent in women than in men. SLE is newly diagnosed in 4 lakh people each year worldwide 1,2. SLE can involve many organ systems likewise musculoskeletal, dermatological, renal, neurological, hematological, cardiopulmonary, ocular and gastrointestinal. Severity of SLE varies from mild and intermittent to severe and fulminant. Neurological manifestations are common in SLE occuring in ~ 60% of patients but Myelopathy is rarest presentation among neurological manifestations (< 1%). Hence we are reporting a rare case of a young female patient of SLE presented with cervical myelopathy Subject Area: Internal Medicine and Rheumatology