A Case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome as the First Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with different clinical manifestations. Acute [resembling Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)] or chronic (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy) inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy has been reported in rare SLE cases.

We reported a 39-year-old woman that presented with acute peripheral neuropathy, and she was eventually diagnosed with SLE. She developed distal numbness and paraesthesia followed by progressive upper and lower extremity weakness and difficulty in swallowing and speaking. She had a history of flu-like illness three weeks before to symptoms.

Progressive upper and lower extremity weakness along with areflexia and electrodiagnostic findings suggested the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Over a month, significant neurological recovery occurred, and the patient’s function continued to recover.