SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS PRESENTING AS IDIOPATHIC INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION

We describe a 13-year-old girl who presented with an acute febrile dis ease accompanied by headache, dizziness, nausea, decreased visual acui ty, and diplopia. Examination showed papilledema, enlarged blind spots , and visual field defects with an otherwise normal neurological exami nation. The diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension was conf irmed by increased intracranial pressure (cerebrospinal pressure >200 mm water) in the absence of any abnormal radiological findings of the brain. Initially, only positive serology tests showing elevated titers of anti-DNA antibodies and positive tests for anti-Sm and anti-RNP an tibodies were found; however, 6 mo later clinical and laboratory findi ngs were compatible with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our patie nt illustrates that the possibility of SLE needs to be considered in t he differential diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.