Clinical characteristics of childhood systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: a case report and literature reviews

To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of childhood systemic lupus erythematosus (childhood systemic lupus erythematosus, cSLE) complicated by cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, CVST). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 case of cSLE with CVST from Wuhan Children's Hospital in China and 10 cases meeting the inclusion criteria retrieved from domestic and international databases for a comprehensive analysis. Additionally, 22 pediatric patients with cSLE but without CVST from our hospital were selected as the control group to compare differences in clinical and laboratory parameters between the two groups. All 11 patients with CVST were female. Headache (90.91%) and transverse sinus involvement (72.73%) were the most common findings, and 81.81% of the patients had multilocalized thrombosis. The incidence of elevated CRP and thrombocytopenia was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (all P < 0.05), while the initial SLEDAI-2 K(Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index) score showed no statistical significance ( P = 0.587). All cases were treated with a combination of glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, and anticoagulants; the children had a favorable prognosis, and there were no deaths. cSLE complicated by CVST is most common in adolescent females. Headache, transverse sinus involvement, thrombocytopenia, and elevated CRP are the main features of cSLE complicated by CVST; Early standardized treatment leads to a favorable prognosis.