Report of Lupus Encephalopathy in Two Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

How do you make a diagnosis of lupus encephalopathy (LE) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) concurrent with neurological and psychiatric abnormalities? This is a challenging question. We encountered two cases of SLE associated with LE. One involving the rigidity of the lefs due to extraparamidal vasculitis while the other involved mental illness due to frontal lobe atrophy respectively. The patient in case 2 experienced the attacks of Renault's sign, suggesting a systemic vasculitis. A final diagnosis of LE was established on the basis of elevated concentration of anti-ds-DNA in serum. The authors realized that the neurological or psychiatric symptoms in patients with rheumatic diseases should be carefully recognized in order to avoid a missed diagnosis of LE.