Introduction:

Fever seen in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often an etiologic challenge for the internist. It is fundamental to make a correct diagnosis because the therapeutic choices are clearly different.

Objectives:

To describe the causes of fever in patients with SLE of the National Hospital and determine the frequency of the lupus activity according to the MEX-SLEDAI.

Methodology:

This was an observational prospective study carried out in male and female adult patients with SLE that attended the National Hospital (Itauguá, Paraguay) for fever between April and November, 2016.

Results:

Thirty seven patients were included, they had a mean age of 30±11 years and there was a predominance of women (89%). The mean time of fever duration was 8±5 days and the causes were: infections (43%), reactivation (35%) and both causes (22%). The main infection foci were lung, skin and soft tissues. The mean score of MEX-SLEDAI was 8±5 points. The patients who had high values in this scale were characterized by high ANA and decreased complements.

Conclusions:

The most frequent cause of fever in patients with SLE was infection. The mean score in MEX-SLEDAI was 8±5 points.

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