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Video

Pediatric Otolaryngology

(A927) Head and Neck Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Children

Monday, October 13, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Location: OTO EXPO, Posters

    Co-Author(s)

  • Lama Abdurrahman, BS

    Medical Student
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Mission, Texas, United States

    • Presenting Author(s)

  • Alexandra Martinez, BA

    Medical Student
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Fort Worth, Texas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Alexandra Martinez, BA

    Medical Student
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Fort Worth, Texas, United States

    • Presenting Author(s)

  • Marco A. Campioli, BA

    Medical Student
    Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
    Houston, Texas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • James A. Widner, BS

    Medical Student
    Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
    Houston, Texas, United States

  • Rachel Arp, BS

    Texas Children's Hospital
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Montgomery, Texas, United States

  • MD

    Marietta DeGuzman, MD

    Texas Children's Hospital, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • EL

    Elton Lambert, MD

    Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine, United States

Disclosure(s):
Lama Abdurrahman, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Alexandra Martinez, BA: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Marco A. Campioli, BA: No relevant relationships to disclose.
James A. Widner, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Rachel Arp, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and SLE-like syndromes are autoimmune disorders with varied systemic and localized manifestations. Head and neck symptoms, including rashes, oral ulcers, and epistaxis, are frequently reported but under-explored in relation to baseline demographics, clinical presentations, and laboratory findings in children. This study aims to characterize the prevalence of head and neck symptoms in a cohort of SLE patients and to identify common systemic features that may aid early diagnosis in children.

Methods: A case series with retrospective review was conducted on 147 patients diagnosed with SLE or SLE-like syndromes presenting to a hospital-based pediatric rheumatology clinic. Patient demographics, head and neck symptoms, systemic symptoms, and biochemical markers were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to assess associations between gender at birth, symptom duration, and symptom prevalence.

Results: The mean age of the cohort was 13.7 years (SD 3.2), with 85% female patients. Head and neck symptoms were reported in 67.3% of patients (99/147). The most prevalent symptoms were facial rashes (56.5%), oral ulcers (24.5%), and epistaxis (11.6%). Common systemic symptoms included joint pain (36.7%), headaches (18.8%), and fatigue (15.6%). ANA positivity was the most prevalent biochemical finding, observed in 76.6% of patients, followed by anti-dsDNA (65.5%). Gender at birth and disease duration had no significant influence on the prevalence of head and neck symptoms (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Head and neck symptoms are a prominent feature in SLE and SLE-like syndromes, with facial rashes being the most common. Constitutional symptoms such as joint pain and fatigue may alert clinicians of a potential autoimmune etiology, when these head and neck symptoms arise in children. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive clinical and laboratory evaluation in children presenting with head and neck symptoms. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to evaluate symptom progression and treatment outcomes.