Chorea revealing systemic lupus erythematosus in a 13-year old boy: A case report and short review of the literature

Abstract

Among the neurological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), chorea is rare, presenting in less than 7% of the pediatric SLE patients. It can appear early in the onset of SLE, be the first or even the sole clinical feature of the illness and has strongly been associated with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. We report on the case of a 13-year old boy, admitted with acute onset chorea and finally diagnosed with SLE. Subsequently, we present a short review of the literature on the epidemiology, suggested pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment of this rare presentation of SLE.

Keywords: Chorea; antiphospholipid antibodies; sweet syndrome; systemic lupus erythematosus.