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Stabbing Yourself in the Heart: A Case of Autoimmunity Gone Awry
Hari Vigneswaran1, Leslie Parikh1, Athena Poppas1
1Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Insights
This case report details a rare instance of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and pericarditis occurring simultaneously. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of both conditions were crucial for successful patient recovery.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Neurology
- Cardiology
Background:
- Cardiac and neurologic conditions are common in internal medicine.
- Chest pain and neurological deficits require careful evaluation.
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and pericarditis are distinct neurological and cardiac conditions, respectively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a rare clinical case of simultaneous Guillain-Barre Syndrome and pericarditis.
- To emphasize the importance of recognizing this rare association in clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Case report presentation.
- Review of clinical findings, diagnostic studies, and treatment outcomes.
- Description of patient's presentation, diagnostic confirmation, and therapeutic management.
Main Results:
- A 55-year-old male with a history of renal transplant presented with symptoms consistent with GBS.
- The patient subsequently developed symptoms and ECG findings indicative of pericarditis.
- Successful treatment was administered for both GBS and pericarditis.
Conclusions:
- The simultaneous occurrence of GBS and pericarditis, though infrequent, is a documented phenomenon.
- Internal medicine physicians must maintain awareness of this potential correlation for timely diagnosis and management.
- This case underscores the need for comprehensive patient evaluation in internal medicine.
Abstract:
Within internal medicine, cardiac and neurologic pathology comprises a vast majority of patient complaints. Physicians and advanced-care practitioners must be highly educated and comfortable in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of these entities. Chest pain accounts for millions of annual visits to the emergency room with pericarditis diagnosed in approximately four percent of patients with nonischemic chest pain. Guillain-Barre Syndrome is autoimmune polyneuropathy that often results in transient paralysis. Simultaneous diagnosis of both entities is a rare but described phenomenon. Here, we present a clinical case of GBS associated pericarditis. A fifty-five-year-old man with history of renal transplant presented with lower extremity weakness and urinary incontinence. Physical exam and diagnostic studies confirmed Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Patient subsequently developed stabbing chest pain with clinical presentation and electrocardiogram consistent with pericarditis. The patient was successfully treated for both diseases. This case highlights that although infrequent, internal medicine care providers must be cognizant of this correlation to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.