A 34-year-old female patient presents to the ER with sharp pleuritic-type chest pain. An x-ray shows an enlarged cardiac silhouette suggestive of pericarditis. On more careful questioning, the patient admits to a polyarticular arthritis involving the small joints of her hands. Her obstetrical history is positive for two third-trimester stillbirths. At this point, you would suspect which autoimmune process as the cause of her symptoms:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Wegener's granulomatosis
- Sjogren's Syndrome
- Scleroderma
Answer: B
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
40-60% of patients with SLE have serositis (pleuritis and pericarditis). That, combined with joint pains, habitual AB - should cause you to order an ANA.
Know Your Content Blueprint
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is covered in the NCCPA™ Content Blueprint Blueprint Musculoskeletal System (10%)
Review Topic: Systemic lupus erythematosus