To assess the frequency of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, the medical records of 88 consecutive SLE patients admitted to King Khalid University Hospital between 1986 and 1991 were reviewed retrospectively. 30% of SLE patients had neuropsychiatric events sometime during the course of the disease. Psychiatric problems (depression and psychosis) were the most frequent manifestations (35.4%), followed by headache (31.8%), cranial and peripheral neuropathy (27.2%) and movement disorders (22.7%). Other neurological manifestations occurred less frequently. Lymphopenia and thrombocytopoenia were significantly associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations.