EVALUATION OF PATIENTS WITH CNS INVOLVEMENT IN SLE

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may present with a wi de array of neuropsychiatric (NP) clinical features. This may either b e a primary manifestation of SLE, the result of a complication of the disease or its therapy, or a concurrent disease process. As there is n o single diagnostic gold standard for NP-SLE, the assessment of indivi dual patients is heavily dependent upon clinical evaluation in additio n to information from studies of autoantibodies, brain structure and f unction. Despite their lack of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, these tests frequently provide information that can be used to suppor t or refute the clinical impression. They may also provide a basis for the prospective evaluation of the efficacy of therapeutic interventio ns in individual patients with NP-SLE.