Table 1: Case reports of ascites as the presenting feature of SLE.

Year/Author (reference)	Clinical Presentation	SAlb^a	AsAlb^b	ANA	anti-dsDNA	C3	C4	Treatment	Outcome
Mier [14]	24yo F with abdominal pain and distention x1 month	NR	3.9 g/dL	NR	13% binding (normal 0-2%)	30 mg/dL	4 mg/dL	Prednisone 60 mg/day	Resolution in 10 days
Ishiguro [10]	52yo F with fever, rash, abdominal distention x6 months	2.8 g/dL	2.2 g/dL	1:1280	36 U/mL (radio-immunoassay, normal < 10 U/mL)	< 20 mg/dL	< 5 mg/dL	Prednisolone 50 mg, Methylprednisolone 1 g/day × 3 days (repeated twice) followed by taper	Massive ascites resolved after pulse dose steroids
Hammoudeh [4]	27yo F with abdominal pain, n/v with new rash and joint pain	NR	Ascites Protein 4.8 g/dL	1:1280	1:20	51 mg/dL	10 mg/dL	Sulindac 400 mg/day, Chloroquine 500 mg/day	Discharged 1 week later with minimal symptoms
Weinstein [2]	33yo F with sharp peri-umbilical pain and increasing abdominal girth x1 week	2.7 g/dL	1.9 g/dL	pos	pos	23.7 mg/dL	7.9 mg/dL	Methyl-prednisolone + Cyclophosphamide	Discharged with minimal ascites and mild AKI
Ito [11]	77yo F with pancytopenia and worsening ascites and lower extremity edema x3 months	2.2 g/dL	2.3 g/dL	pos	71 U/mL	20.4 mg/dL	9.4 mg/dL	Prednisolone 60 mg/day, Methylprednisolone 0.5 g/day × 3 days (× 2) tapered to 15 mg over by 2 months	Complicated by pneumonia, death
Trock [15]	80yo F with increasing abdominal girth and extremity edema over 3 weeks, found to have massive ascites and pericarditis	NR	NR	1:640	37 (crithidia assay, normal < 25)	62 mg/dL	13 mg/dL	Methylprednisolone 60 mg followed by prednisone 20 mg bid, AZA 100 mg/day, Hydroxychloroquine 400 mg/day	Resolution without symptoms by 4 weeks, but recurred on 2 year follow up
Forouhar-Graff [7]	18yo F with n/v, diarrhea, abdominal distention x4 weeks	2.9 g/dL	1.9 g/dL	1:5120	1:80	53 mg/dL	4 mg/dL	Methylprednisolone 250 mg × 3 days, then 60 mg/day × 4 weeks	Over the course of 18 months, was still steroid dependent and AZA was started given 2 relapses
Prasad [8]	26yo F with 2.5 months of abdominal distention and fever postpartum	2.5 g/dL	1.72 g/dL	pos	115 U/mL	44.9 mg/dL	6.85 mg/dL	Prednisolone 1 mg/kg; hydroxychloroquine maintenance	Ascites resolved by 4 weeks; in remission at 3 months follow-up
Pott Junior [16]	47yo F with increasing abdominal size x2 months and diffuse pain	2.5 g/dL	1.65 g/dL	1:160	neg	na	na	Prednisone 60 mg/day; chloroquine 250 mg/day	Ascites resolved and patient was asymptomatic at 3 months follow-up
Liu [18]	19yo M with abdominal pain/n/v x3 days	3.4 g/dL	NR	pos	pos	55 mg/dL	10mg/dL	Prednisone 60 mg/day; chloroquine 250 mg/day	Symptoms resolved at 3 months follow-up
Zhou [1]	39yo F with abdominal distention and pain x20 days	3.2 g/dL	NR	1:800	neg anti-Sm pos	65 mg/dL	5 mg/dL	Methylprednisolone 40 mg/day, taper to 10 mg/day; 0.2 g/day hydroxychloroquine maintenance	Abdominal pain and distention improved by day 7, ascites resolved by 1 month

YO: Year Old; M: Male; F: Female; NR: Not Reported; n/v: Nausea and Vomiting; Neg: Negative; Pos: Positive; AZA: Azathioprine. ^aSalb,serum albumin; ^bAsAlb, ascites albumin