A Recent Diagnosis Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus In A Male With A History Of Recurrent Pneumothorax And Cystic Bronchiectasis: A Case Report

Recently published case reports showed that Pneumothorax can be associated with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein, we present a smoker man with a positive history of connective tissue disease (CTD) in the family, who was admitted to the hospital many times during the previous year for recurrent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations and multiple chest infections. The patient had a history of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax 20 years prior, which required treatment with pleurodesis. Furthermore, a year ago, he received a diagnosis of SLE. The association of pneumothorax with smoking and COPD is well known. Still, in our patient’s case, he may have been predisposed to develop recurrent pneumothorax requiring pleurodesis because of his underlying undiagnosed and untreated active SLE disease.