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Pericardial effusion and giant cell arteritis

Thierry Zenone1, Marie Puget

  • 1Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier General, 179 boulevard Marechal Juin, 26953, Valence Cedex 9, France, tzenone@ch-valence.fr.

Rheumatology International
|February 18, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Pericardial effusion is a rare finding in giant cell arteritis (GCA), occurring in 3.5% of patients. This condition is typically asymptomatic and benign, aiding early GCA diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Pericardial effusion is an uncommon complication of giant cell arteritis (GCA).
  • Previous data on its prevalence and characteristics are limited, primarily based on case reports.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of pericardial effusion in patients diagnosed with GCA.
  • To investigate the association between pericardial effusion and GCA activity or treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 114 patients with GCA diagnosed between October 1999 and July 2013.
  • Review of medical records, imaging (including thoracic CT scans), and clinical presentations.

Main Results:

  • Pericardial effusion was identified in 4 out of 114 patients (3.5% prevalence).
  • Effusion was asymptomatic at initial presentation in three patients.
  • One patient developed effusion during disease relapse associated with aortitis, diagnosed via CT scan.

Conclusions:

  • Pericardial effusion is a rare but recognized manifestation of GCA.
  • The clinical course of GCA-associated pericardial effusion is generally benign and asymptomatic.
  • Identifying pericardial effusion may assist in the early diagnosis and management of GCA.

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