Background: Infections are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) throughout the course of their disease and remain a source of mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of infections, to describe their nature, and analyze their risk factors in adults with SLE.
Patients And Methods: We performed a descriptive study, at the Farhat-Hached Hospital in Sousse, and retrospectively analyzed the charts of 75 patients with SLE seen between 1990 and 2004.
Blood culture is a key investigation for the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis (IE). When negative, there are diagnostic and therapeutic problems. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency, the clinical features and the aetiological factors of IE with negative blood cultures compared with IE with positive blood cultures compared with IE with positive blood cultures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTen adult patients treated for pyomyositis between 1988 and 1994 in Sousse's university hospital (Tunisia) were retrospectively reviewed. Due to the non specific symptoms, the diagnosis was often delayed (mean = 17 days) and other primary diagnoses were considered, mainly including synovitis. The muscles around hip and thigh were most commonly involved (ten patients), and Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (nine patients).
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