Richard Rivera
About the Author: Richard Rivera is a current second-year medical student at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. He is the current Fundraising Chair for an organization known as Project World Health (PWH). The PWH team of students, residents, dentists, nurses and other volunteers work together with local leaders, clinics and organizations to treat patients in the Dominican Republic once a year. The 2023 PWH trip is the reason behind Richard's presentation in the LMSA 2023 journal, and he is looking forward to the next opportunity to serve those of the Dominican Republic in February 2024.
About the Work: Carbamazepine is commonly used for epilepsy because it is effective in controlling partial and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. We present a case of a 21-year-old woman currently on carbamazepine for anti-seizure treatment. The patient presented to a temporary health clinic in the Dominican Republic with a history of joint pain, joint swelling and malar rash consistent with carbamazepine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus. Up to 2019, there have only been 27 reported cases of carbamazepine-induced SLE. Notably, lab testing should be completed for diagnosis. If the patient is diagnosed with SLE, they should refer to their neurologist and be taken off of carbamazepine, in addition to starting immunosuppressant therapy. Symptoms can be reversed within months of treatment; however, in underdeveloped regions, proper testing, consistent follow-up and immunosuppressant drugs might not be easily accessible.
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