Amiodarone induced lupus

Serum complement components are usually normal, ANAs are positive but anti-dsDNA and anti-Sm are negative, while anti-histones antibodies can be detected in most of patients. 2 The pathogenic mechanisms proposed for DIL include: cross reactivity between drug and the nucleic acid; hapten complex formation between drug and nucleic acid, or structural damage to the chromosomal DNA; action of drug as an adjuvant or immunostimulant, which, in concert with appropriate immune response genes, triggers polyclonal B/T cell activation; and interference with the complement pathway. 1 The incidence of side effects associated with amiodarone ranges from 40% to 93% and, in most of cases, these side effects are consequence of its potential to be directly toxic to several organ systems. 3 4 However, there is also some evidence of immunologically mediated phenomena related to amiodarone. [...]this patient meets four SLE criteria: malar rash, serositis, haematological disorder (lymphopenia), and positive ANAs test.