Overview
Drug-induced lupus (DIL) is an autoimmune condition where a patient develops signs and symptoms similar to systemic lupus erythematosus after exposure to certain drugs. DIL carries a more favourable prognosis compared to SLE and resolves within a few weeks after discontinuing the offending drug.
Drug Causes
- Procainamide
- Hydralazine
- Minocycline
- Terbinafine
- Sulfasalazine
- Isoniazid
- Phenytoin
- Carbamazepine
Investigations
Overview
- Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA):
- Nearly positive in all patients
- Anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA):
- Absent in most patients, used to screen for SLE
- Anti-histone antibodies:
- Present in up to 90% of patients
