Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

A 51-year woman with a seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) developed antiLa/SSB antibodies and erythematosquamous lesions on her upper back. The histological diagnosis was subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) (papulosquamous form). There was no indication or a drug-induced SCLE. The concurrence of RA and SCLE seems to be rare. We review the clinical, serologic and immunogenetic features in these patients with coexistent RA and SCLE.

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus associated with leflunomide

“…The temporal relationship between the onset of SCLE and the commencement of leflunomide in this patient suggest the possibility that the latter may have been implicated in the development of the former, despite reports to suggest the efficacy of leflunomide in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus 4 . However the possibility of a coincidental association cannot be excluded, and nor can the rare concurrence of SCLE and rheumatoid arthritis 5 …”