Pulmonary manifestations in SLE, spontaneous pneumothorax, a case report

Manifestaciones pulmonares en lupus, neumotórax espontaneo, a propósito de un caso.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by immune-mediated inflammation with multi-organ involvement. Pulmonary involvement ranges from 20-90% of cases, including manifestations, histopathology, and treatment-related aspects (1,3,7). We present a case report of a 33-year-old female with a 9-year history of SLE, who was under adequate control and had no toxicological history. She presented with a respiratory condition of 2 months' duration, treated twice as pneumonia, which worsened 10 days prior to her admission, accompanied by a dry cough, dyspnea on moderate exertion, pleuritic chest pain, decreased breath sounds, and tympanism on percussion in the right hemithorax. A diagnosis of spontaneous hydropneumothorax was made, with the presence of subpleural cysts in both lung fields. Infectious etiology was ruled out, and the condition was associated with lupus flare, requiring management with corticosteroid pulses and closed thoracostomy. Although not very common, SLE can cause acute pulmonary manifestations in its course, which should be considered in patients with respiratory symptoms