What Causes Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction in People with Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can damage every organ system in the body. It can also attack blood vessels and cause them to become inflamed, including the blood vessels in the intestines. When this happens, proteinaceous deposits containing a “stiff” compound called fibrin forms on the smooth muscle of the intestines. This slows down the ability of the intestines to move food through the digestive tract leading to a “functional” obstruction without an actual blockage. When a patient has symptoms like this, it’s always important to rule out an obstruction before assuming the symptoms are due to pseudo-obstruction since an actual obstruction will require surgery.
