Acute lupus pneumonitis in the postpartum period: a case history and review of the literature.

A patient is described who developed acute lupus pneumonitis in the puerperium. The difficulty in arriving at this diagnosis and the confusion with infectious etiologies of postpartum illness is described. Other manifestations of pulmonary disease in systemic lupus erythematosis are discussed, and the literature regarding acute lupus pneumonitis in the postpartum period is reviewed.