Mesenteric Thrombosis Associated with Anticardiolipin Antibodies in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

A 45-yr-old female with mild chronic systemic lupus erythematosus for 20 yr, and with a stroke, digital infarction, and transient vocal cord paralysis during those 20 yr, had severe abdominal pain for 2 wk due to omental infarction associated with the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies. This report suggests that patients with otherwise mild systemic lupus erythematosus may develop severe recurrent thromboembolic events associated with anticardiolipin antibodies, that anticardiolipin antibodies may be associated with mesenteric ischemia, and that mesenteric ischemia associated with anticardiolipin antibodies should be considered in the differential of significant, unexplained abdominal pain in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.