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Case Reports
. 2019 Nov 4;17(1):71.
doi: 10.1186/s12969-019-0372-z.

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as pancarditis

D O'Leary  1   2 , C O'Connor  3 , L Nertney  3 , E J MacDermott  3 , D Mullane  4 , O Franklin  5 , O G Killeen  3   6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as pancarditis

D O'Leary et al. Pediatr Rheumatol Online J. .

Abstract

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with marked variation in its clinical presentation. Juvenile SLE (jSLE) accounts for 15-20% of all cases and is diagnosed when SLE manifests before 18 years of age. Pancarditis is a rare complication of SLE, regardless of age of disease onset.

Case presentation: We report a case of jSLE in a 15 year old Caucasian female presenting with an acute episode of pancarditis and multiorgan dysfunction who was successfully treated with systemic corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide.

Conclusion: Pancarditis can be a presenting feature of jSLE which was previously unreported. A high index of suspicion for severe cardiac involvement is required at all stages of disease.

Keywords: Juvenile; Pancarditis; SLE.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Echocardiography on admission to intensive care. a: pericardial effusion behind the right atrium. b: parasternal short axis view with a pericardial effusion
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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