Pulmonary Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Global and Saudi Arabian Populations

Abstract

This paper reviews the pulmonary manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus with particular focus on comparing global and Saudi Arabian populations. Dozens of articles addressing lupus complications in Saudi patients were published in recent years; to our knowledge, this is the first review focusing on pulmonary complications. In this narrative literature review, we conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE and Google Scholar using the words pulmonary complications of systemic lupus in Saudi Arabia. Th e search covered the period between 2000 and 2019. We found that the rate of pulmonary complications in Saudi lupus patients was consistent with that in global patients; exceptionally higher incidence of acute lupus pneumonitis was reported in Saudi patients. We hope that this study will inform clinicians about the important points regarding pulmonary complications in lupus patients, particularly in the Saudi population.