Cardiac Tamponade as the First Manifestation of a Systemic Disease

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by multisystem inflammation, and is a common cause of pericarditis and pericardial effusion, but significant pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade are rare and even rarer as the first manifestation. We report the case of a young male who presented with fever, recurrent pericarditis and polyserositis with pericardial and bilateral pleural effusion. On examination he was hemodynamically unstable and the pericardial effusion had considerable dimensions (30-33 mm), and an urgent pericardiocentesis was performed.