Title
Lupus enteritis in a tuberculosis-endemic region of India: Diagnostic pitfalls and radiologic insights
Authors
Raja N. Nachiappan*, Vaishnavi Sekar, Sivaprakash Varadan & R.B. Sudagar Singh
Affiliation
Department of General Medicine, Sri Ramachandra Medical Institute of Medical Science and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; *Corresponding author
Raja N. Nachiappan - E-mail:
nraja.nachiappan@gmail.com
Vaishnavi Sekar - E-mail: drvaish3@yahoo.in
Sivaprakash Varadan - E-mail: vsivaprakash@sriramachandra.edu.in
R.B. Sudagar Singh - E-mail: singh7071@sriramachandra.edu.in
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received August 1, 2026; Revised August 31, 2026; Accepted August 31, 2026, Published August 31, 2026
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may rarely present as lupus enteritis, a gastrointestinal manifestation that can closely mimic abdominal tuberculosis in endemic regions. A 22-year-old woman with prolonged fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and pancytopenia was initially treated for disseminated tuberculosis but showed no clinical improvement. Contrast enhanced computed tomography showed characteristic bowel wall thickening with a target sign, while autoimmune evaluation revealed a strongly positive ANA, elevated anti-dsDNA antibodies, hypocomplementemia and multiple extractable nuclear antigen antibodies, confirming lupus enteritis secondary to SLE. Prompt treatment with corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine and cyclophosphamide resulted in marked clinical recovery. Thus, data shows the importance of integrating characteristic radiological findings with autoimmune investigations for early diagnosis and appropriate immunosuppressive therapy in tuberculosis-endemic settings.
Keywords
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus enteritis, tuberculosis mimicry, autoimmune vasculitis, computed tomography, target sign, mesenteric vasculitis, hypocomplementemia
Citation
Nachiappan et al. Bioinformation 22(8): 4910-4915 (2026)
Edited by
A Prashanth
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
