Chief Complaints of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Admitted to Emergency Department

  Objective  To analyze the chief complaints of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presenting to emergency department (ED).

  Methods  The chief complaints of 200 patients with SLE who admitted to the ED in our hospital from September 2009 to January 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data queried included:the number and distribution of chief complaint symptoms, the chief complaint symptoms of the untreated patients with SLE, and the causes of fever.

  Results  Two different symptoms were most commonly reported at presentation to the ED (47.5%, 95/200), with fever being the most common (58%, 116/200). Other common symptoms involved the central nervous system (38.5%, 20/52), respiratory system (23.1%, 12/52), and digestive system (19.2%, 10/52) were prone to be complicated with fever. The most common cause of fever was lupus activity in untreated patients with SLE (78.8%, 26/33) and infection in patients with SLE exacerbation (69.9%, 58/83). In patients with infection-induced fever, the most common location of infection was respiratory system (81.5%, 53/65).

  Conclusion  SLE patients admintted to ED have a variety of chief complaints, which should be carefully distinguished for particular features during the diagnosis.