Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), although only rarely are they caused by active organ system involvement from SLE itself. Rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment of lupus enteritis and other GI manifestations of SLE are critical, because of the potential for organ and life-threatening complications. The 3 main variants of lupus enteritis are lupus mesenteric vasculitis, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and protein-losing enteropathy. These GI manifestations and others in patients with SLE are reviewed here.