Constrictive Pericarditis as the First Presentation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multi-organ damage mediated by immune complexes and autoantibodies. It often presents with patients being non-specifically unwell and there is a wide range of differential diagnoses, one of which includes chronic infections such as Tuberculosis (TB). Exudative pericarditis is a relatively common feature in SLE and is present in up to 62% of patients on autopsy, although only a quarter of patients are symptomatic; constrictive pericarditis is a very rare feature of SLE. We report a 49 year old gentleman who was diagnosed with SLE which presented with features of constrictive pericarditis following an extensive period of investigations for TB.