CASE REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders: Autoinflammatory Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1614945
Postpartum Lumbopelvic Pain Could Be SAPHO Syndrome: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- 2Nursing Department, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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Background:Synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome is a rare autoimmune disorder. The involvement of spinal and sacroiliac joint in SAPHO syndrome closely resembles the manifestations of postpartum lumbopelvic pain (LPP).We report a case of a patient whose primary symptom was postpartum LPP, with recurrent episodes lasting 10 months without relief. Unexpectedly, she was diagnosed with SAPHO syndrome in the 11 th month when she sought medical attention for severe palmoplantar pustulosis rather than LPP. After combined treatment with Tofacitinib citrate tablets and Etoricoxib tablets, all the pain symptoms disappeared.For postpartum patients with concurrent palmoplantar scaling and recurrent LPP unresponsive to treatment, clinicians should consider SAPHO syndrome as a potential diagnosis.
Keywords: synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteitis, SAPHO, lumbopelvic pain, Pelvic Girdle Pain, postpartum women
Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zheng, Zhang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rong Zhang, Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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