Severe airflow limitation in two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: effect of inhalation of anticholinergics

Abstract

Airway involvement clinically presenting as dyspnea and an obstructive ventilatory defect is a rare but clinically important complication in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), since the airway manifestation is often progressive and resistant to systemic immunosuppressive therapy. Here we report two SLE patients with slowly progressive airflow limitation, which was clinically thought to be bronchiolitis obliterans. Both patients showed obvious improvement after inhalation of anticholinergics was started. Because anticholinergics are highly safe and never immunosuppressive, inhalation of these drugs might be useful in the therapeutic strategies for airflow limitation accompanying SLE or other collagen diseases.

Keywords::

• Airflow limitation
• Anticholinergics
• Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO)
• Obstructive ventilatory defect
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)