Acute pericarditis and bilateral pleuritis in the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Acute pericarditis is a common cause of chest pain in young individuals and may be accompanied by pericardial effusion, often of small size. In most cases, the cause is unknown or presumed to be a viral infection. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by multisystem involvement and is a frequent cause of pericarditis and pericardial effusion. However, significant pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade in this condition are rare and even less frequently occur as the first manifestation. The diagnosis of SLE presents a complex clinical challenge and requires a high level of clinical suspicion. The article presents a clinical case of a rare form of SLE that manifested in a young patient as pericardial effusion, which subsequently led to cardiac tamponade.