Reactions 426 - 7 Nov 1992

Carbamazepine

Systemic lupus erythematosus?: case reportA 21-year-old woman developed symptoms of systemic

lupus erythematosus (SLE) after 18 months’ maintenancetherapy with carbamazepine 400 mg/day for bipolar disorder.She developed arthritis of the ankle, fingers, elbows, andknees. A diagnosis of SLE was made after the detection ofantinuclear antibodies; anti-ds-DNS-antibodies were 16%(normal <= 10%) IgG antibodies against histones type Hsub(1) and H sub(2)S were also present. Symptoms of SLEresolved completely within 2 months of carbamazepinewithdrawal. Treatment comprised NSAIDs, corticosteroidsand chloroquine.

Author comment: SLE in patients receiving carbamazepinehas been reported previously, but this appears to be the firstreport in a patient with a psychiatric disorder. Although acausal relationship is not certain, ‘... anti-histone-antibodies,which are more often found in drug-induced SLE (90%) than inidiopathic SLE (30-70%), constitute an important argument forthis link’Schmidt St, et al. Carbamazepine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus. BritishJournal of Psychiatry 161: 560-561, Oct 1992 - Germany 800162838

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Reactions 7 Nov 1992 No. 4260114-9954/10/0426-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved