Contribution to the problem of occurrence of tuberculosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The association of SLE with tuberculosis (TB) was studied in a group of 388 patients with SLE monitored between 1953-1994. TB was diagnosed in 14 patients (3.6%). The occurrence of septic fevers in SLE patients that did not respond to glucocorticoid therapy indicated the possibility of complication with TB. SLE-associated TB included miliary and far-advanced pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms. Three patients from our group died due to myco-bacterial infection and one patient died of active SLE and TB. The treatment was successful in nine patients. Early diagnosis and appropriate management are mandatory in SLE associated TB, which otherwise may have a potentially fatal outcome.