gastrointestinal manifestations
Last reviewed 01/2018
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
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