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Fatal outcome of constrictive pericarditis in rheumatoid arthritis

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Abstract

This is a report of a 39-year-old patient diagnosed with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 17. The patient died 2 years after the onset of extra-articular cardiac symptoms. This case demonstrates the devastating course of progressive constrictive pericarditis under sole medical therapy and emphasizes the importance of early radical pericardectomy to avoid progression of disease and secondary complications with fatal outcome. Further, we discuss risk factors, diagnostic caveats, diagnostic tests and therapy of hemodynamically relevant contrictive pericarditis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee , 11, D-93042, Regensburg, Germany

    Peter Härle, Bernd Salzberger, Thomas Glück, Jürgen Schölmerich & Ulf Müller-Ladner

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  1. Peter Härle
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  2. Bernd Salzberger
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  3. Thomas Glück
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  4. Jürgen Schölmerich
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  5. Ulf Müller-Ladner
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Correspondence to Peter Härle.

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Härle, P., Salzberger, B., Glück, T. et al. Fatal outcome of constrictive pericarditis in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 23, 312–314 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-003-0300-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-003-0300-9

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