Spontaneous rupture of the spleen: an unusual complication of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Although splenicabnormalities are widely recognised in patients with lupus, spontaneous rupture of the spleen is rare. We describe a patient whose spleen ruptured spontaneously 19 years after the onset of her disease, and comparethis case with four others that have been described in theprevious literature. Possible contributing factors to this rupture are discussed.