Spontaneous soft tissue haemorrhage in systemic lupus erythematosus

Diversity in clinical presentations and complications of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) make the diagnosis and management challenging. The mechanisms of haemorrhagic manifestations in SLE have not been well elucidated. A 47-year-old woman with no comorbidities was admitted after suffering fatigue and low grade fever for six months. She had bilateral soft tissue haemorrhage over the forearm and intra retinal haemorrhages. She was assessed and diagnosed as having SLE based on positive antinuclear antibody, strongly positive anti double stranded DNA, thrombocytopenia and low C3 and C4 levels. We describe a case of spontaneous bilateral soft tissue haemorrhage in SLE and discuss the various mechanisms causing bleeding in lupus.