Sulfasalazine-induced pericarditis in a patient with ulcerative colitis without recurrence when switching to
Serge Perrot1, Elisabeth Aslangul, Tali Szwebel
1Service de Medecine Interne et Consultation de la Douleur, Hôtel Dieu, 1 Place du Parvis Notre Dame, 75004 Paris, France. serge.perrot@htd.aphp.fr
Introduction:
Pericarditis is rarely reported in inflammatory bowel disease. Besides its common causes, pericarditis could be related to ulcerative colitis flare or to 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) treatment.
Case Report:
We report the case of a patient in whom fever, weight loss and pericarditis developed after 16 years of treatment with sulfasalazine for ulcerative colitis, after increasing the daily dosage from 1 to 3 g.
Discussion:
The patient recovered after treatment discontinuation and did not exhibit any recurrence of pericarditis when treatment with mesalazine was introduced.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, if pericarditis occurs in ulcerative colitis patients treated with 5-ASA compounds, the treatment should be considered as a possible cause, even after an increase of the dosage. In this case, discontinuation of the treatment and cautious switch to another 5-ASA compound should be tested.
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