Autoimmunity reviews
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multisystem organ involvement, heterogeneity of clinical features, and variety in degree of severity. The differential diagnosis is a crucial aspect in SLE as many other autoimmune diseases portray clinical similarities and autoantibody positivity. ⋯ Thus, lupus mimickers may present as a lupus-like condition (i.e., 2 or 3 criteria) or as one meeting the classification criteria for SLE. Herein we review and classify the current literature on lupus mimickers based on diverse etiologies which include infections, malign and benign neoplasms, medications, and vaccine-related reactions.
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Uveitis is a frequent (20-50%) and early feature of sarcoidosis. Typical sarcoid uveitis presents with mutton-fat keratic precipitates, iris nodules, and anterior and posterior synechiae. Posterior involvement includes vitreitis, vasculitis, and choroidal lesions. ⋯ Systemic corticosteroids are indicated when uveitis does not respond to topical corticosteroids or when there is bilateral posterior involvement, especially macular edema and occlusive vasculitis. In up to 15% of cases, additional immunosuppression is used, including methotrexate, azathioprine, and mycophenolate mofetil. Infliximab and adalimumab have been recently proposed for the treatment of refractory or sight-threatening systemic sarcoidosis.