Idiosyncratic Pericardial Effusion Associated With Minoxidil

Minoxidil-associated pericardial effusion and impending tamponade

ABSTRACT

A patient with a large pericardial effusion and impending tamponade exhibited clinical improvement with urgent pericardiocentesis. Further workup ruled minoxidil to be the likely cause of the effusion. After discontinuation of minoxidil, the effusion did not recur.

Cardiac Tamponade-Associated Dense Deposit Disease: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Pericardial effusion is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pericardial cavity. It can be associated with various cardiac and non-cardiac disorders. Dense deposit disease (DDD) is a rare kidney disease caused by uncontrolled activation of the alternative complement pathway. We are reporting a seven-year-old male child who was diagnosed to have DDD approved by renal biopsy and presented with shortness of breath, cough, and fever. Chest X-ray displayed cardiomegaly. Thereafter, echocardiography showed massive pericardial effusion and left ventricle compression with a risk for cardiac tamponade. He subsequently underwent pericardiocentesis with the removal of 450 ml of pericardial fluid. The patient's edema was not correlated with the described amount of drained pericardial fluid. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of significant pericardial effusion carrying the risk of cardiac tamponade associated with DDD. With this report, we would like to highlight the importance of cardiac assessment in patients with DDD, in particular those with nephrotic range proteinuria who present with cardiac symptoms and cardiomegaly.