Recurrent Pericarditis and Celiac Disease

IDIOPATHIC pericarditis is among the most common forms of recurrent pericarditis.1After a thorough evaluation to exclude other, treatable causes, idiopathic pericarditis is usually treated symptomatically with rest and anti-inflammatory medications.1Two recent reports from Great Britain2,3have described a potentially curable cause of "idiopathic" recurrent pericarditis: celiac disease. To the best of our knowledge, the association between recurrent pericarditis and celiac disease has not been reported previously in this country. Report of a Case A 63-year-old man was first admitted to the San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center in 1976 with left-sided pleuritic chest pain. The patient had a pericardial rub, and chest roentgenograms showed a transient left pleural effusion. A diagnosis of pleuropericarditis was made. He was treated with aspirin, and his pain resolved. In 1981, the patient again had pleuritic chest pain. A three-component pericardial rub was heard. An ECG showed diffuse ST elevation,