EPILEPSY IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Abstract
THE DISCOVERY of the L. E. (lupus erythematosus) phenomenon1in vivo2and in vitro3has provided accurate diagnostic procedures for acute disseminated lupus erythematosus. These tests have given consistently positive reactions in typical cases of lupus. Moreover, they have indicated that the disease may exist for varying lengths of time in previously unrecognized forms before entering into the final, familiar clinical picture. The present study was prompted by the observation of protracted grand mal epileptic attacks in six of 23 lupus patients with positive L. E. test reactions. In brief, it is our contention that any patient with epilepsy and rheumatoid arthritis may have systemic4lupus erythematosus. The association of convulsive seizures with lupus erythematosus has been noted in many case reports, though no specific reference devoted to a correlation of the two entities has been found in the literature. To our knowledge electroencephalographic evidence of