CLINICAL CASES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2005 June;164(3):231-4

Copyright © 2005 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Drug-induced lupus erythematosus after treatment with alpha-methyldopa

Panchovska M., Misheva E., Rahman H.

Clinic of Rheumatology, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

There is a group of drugs, which can induce the development of lupus syndrome and some specific immune abnormalities. A female patient is presented in this case-report, who had taken alpha-methyldopa (Dopegyt ) for two years for the treatment of arterial hypertension. The patient developed symptoms of arthralgia/arthritis, icterus and hemolytic anemia three months before hospitalization. Typical immune abnormalities are established - increased concentration of antinuclear antibodies and antibodies against histone proteins. The direct and indirect tests of Coombs are both positive. There are compared the specific features of the drug-induced lupus erythematosus and the idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus. The treatment of the drug-induced lupus erythematosus and the good prognosis is discussed, when it is diagnosed in time.