Assessment of pulmonary changes in the course of systemic lupus erythematosus – application of high resolution computed tomography

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that leads to a chronic inflammatory process in tissues and organs. The ailments of the respiratory system are dominated by dry or exudative pleurisy. Interstitial changes can occur, and their effects vary depending on their severity. In extreme cases, they may lead to death. The paper presents a description of three SLE patients with different severity of organ changes treated in the Department of Rheumatology. During the process of diagnosis and treatment, among others chest X-ray and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the lungs were performed. Based on the chest X-ray results, no interstitial lung changes were detected, whereas based on the HRCT every patient was diagnosed with an interstitial lung process. In the assessment of pulmonary changes in the course of SLE, HRCT allows the diagnosis of organ damage in an early stage and the introduction of appropriate treatment.