Alqahtani FS, Alashhab YJ, Manasfi HO, Alanazi W, Alsenani AI. Pericardial Effusion as a First Manifestation of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report.
Cureus 2023;
15:e50489. [PMID:
38226084 PMCID:
PMC10788236 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.50489]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that mainly affects the joints, which can lead to joint deformity. Since the disease is systemic, it affects many organs, including the heart, which can lead to pericarditis, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. We are reporting on a male patient, 34 years of age and Sudanese, who complained of shortness of breath and chest pain that started weeks before he came to the hospital, with no other associated symptoms. The patient was admitted to the hospital, and extensive work was done for the patient, which revealed that he had pericardial effusion secondary to RA, which is the first presentation of the disease. RA rarely presents as a first presentation with pericarditis and pericardial effusion. The patient was managed medically, and he showed significant improvement.
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