Late onset systemic lupus erythematosus with lichen planus-like eruption and cardiac tamponade.

A 71-year-old Japanese woman is reported as a case of late onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with lichen planus (LP)-like eruption and cardiac tamponade. As an initial symptom, our patient had cutaneous lesions clinically and histologically resembling LP, and then the passage of time allowed for the development of additional criteria (lymphopenia, pericarditis) until the diagnosis of SLE could be made. Our case suggests that LP-like eruptions may be one of the unusual variations of late onset SLE and elderly patients with LP-like eruptions should be carefully followed until a final diagnosis can be clearly made.