Why the study?
Cardiac abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus are usually mild or asymptomatic, and heart failure secondary to perimyocarditis as the initial manifestation is extremely rare.
Highlights a rare presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus manifesting initially as perimyocarditis and acute heart failure.
Consider SLE in unexplained perimyocarditis with HF; single case leaves open prevalence and screening needs.
Cardiac abnormalities are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, many of them tend to be mild or asymptomatic and can be recognized by non-invasive studies such as transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). However, heart failure secondary to perimyocarditis as the initial manifestation of SLE remains an extremely rare form of presentation. Below, we present the case of an adult female patient who initially consulted due to symptoms of acute dyspnea, atypical chest pain, and edema of the lower limbs, who underwent a chest X-ray as part of the initial studies, which described an increase in the cardiac silhouette associated with diffuse opacities in both lung fields. The admission electrocardiogram only showed sinus tachycardia and nonspecific alterations of the T wave, with an initial report of frankly elevated cardiac biomarkers compatible with acute myocardial injury together with the positivity of specific antibodies for SLE.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Santacruz et al. (2022) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: