ACUTE SIDEROBLASTIC ANEMIA IN ACTIVE SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

This work describes the development of sideroblastic anemia (SA) durin g the clinical activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in two p atients. The cases refer to two women with SLE who developed SA during a relapse of the illness. Both patients fulfilled at least four crite ria of the American Association of Rheumatology for SLE. In one patien t, the treatment with prednisone was followed by the resolution of the SLE activity and the disappearance of the SA. Several years later the re was no evidence of ringed sideroblasts or malignancy in the bone ma rrow. In the other patient. the clinical activity of the SLE and SA de veloped during the beginning of a septicemic event which finally led t o her death. Our clinical cases allow us to show that the transitory d evelopment of SA can occur during a period of clinical activity of SLE and that its association, although infrequent, is due to a common phy siopathogenic mechanism.