Could Increased Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Induced by Interleukin 17 Be the Cause of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus?

To the Editor: We read with interest the contribution by Varaprasad, et al 1. They studied patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and suggested that PRES occurs in young patients with lupus at the early stage of the disease. However, they did not explain the exact mechanism of the disease. We would like to add the possible pathomechanism in the development of PRES in SLE. PRES is an uncommon condition that … Address correspondence to Dr. J.I. Shin, 250 Seongsan-ro, Seodaemun-gu, CPO Box 8044, Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752, Korea. E-mail: shinji{at}yuhs.ac