Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with pericardial tamponade in an adult

A 25-year-old man was initially seen with pericardial tamponade as a manifestation most probably of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis that had been quiescent for 18 years. A pericardial window relieved the tamponade. Immunofluorescence studies of the pericardial tissue disclosed no deposits of immunoglobulin of complement.