Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Klinefelter's syndrome associated to systemic lupus erythematosus: Interference of sexual steroids

The association of Klinefelter's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is very rare, with about 21 cases described to date. We report on a patient who has developed pericarditis, arthritis, anemia and alopecia, while he has been using testosterone irregularly; the subnormal testosterone levels were coincident with the initial symptoms and re-incidences of SLE. This case is in agreement with the literature, which gives support to the hypothesis that sexual steroids participate in the emergence of autoimmune diseases, specially SLE.

Klinefelter; Lupus erythematosus; Autoimmunity; Androgens; Estrogens


Sociedade Brasileira de Endocrinologia e Metabologia Rua Botucatu, 572 - conjunto 83, 04023-062 São Paulo, SP, Tel./Fax: (011) 5575-0311 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: abem-editoria@endocrino.org.br