An early postpartum young woman with ascites and fever: a case report of a rare presentation of SLE

Abstract

Introduction.Peritoneal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare and is even rarer in the presence of clinically evident ascites. Case presentation. A 23-year-old female in the early puerperium is admitted to the Emergency Department for abdominal pain. She had fever and visible ascites. Laboratories demonstrated lymphopenia, leukocytosis, and acute kidney injury with proteinuria. Peritoneal fluid showed a cellular count of 338 leukocytes/mL, with negative cultures. Specific antibodies demonstrated SLE. The use of steroids and cyclophosphamide showed clinical improvement. Discussion. Peritoneal involvement in SLE is uncommon, reported in 16% of cases. It needs to be suspected in patients with SLE and abdominal pain.