Case Report: Vesicorectal Fistula Caused by Intestinal Tuberculosis Complicated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Pengjia Wu, Jiashun Zeng, Lei Yang Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jiashun Zeng, Email zengjiashun@sina.comAbstract: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are prone to various infections due to autoimmune defects and long-term use of immunosuppressive agents. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TBC) infection is a common infection in patients with SLE, especially in developing countries such as China. SLE and TBC may overlap and confuse a clinical picture, bringing great difficulties for the diagnosis and treatment. This article reports a case of vesicorectal fistula caused by intestinal TBC complicated with SLE, where the manifestation was recurrent diarrhea, initially treated as lupus-associated intestinal vasculitis without notable response. This case suggests that we should pay attention to close monitoring of tuberculosis-related indicators during the follow-up period of SLE patients, especially in endemic areas, and early diagnosis and treatment of TBC can reduce tuberculosis-related complications and significantly improve the quality of life of patients.Keywords: systemic lupus erythematosus, vesicorectal fistula, intestinal tuberculosis, infect, diarrhea