Introduction:
Pericardial syndromes are not uncommon manifestations in clinical
practice [1]. About 5% of all patients admitted to the emergency
department with the chief complaint of chest pain, are diagnosed with
acute pericarditis [2]. Cardiac involvement is a common presentation
of different autoimmune rheumatic diseases. Systemic lupus erythematous
(SLE) is a chronic autoimmune rheumatic disease with multiorgan
involvement. Cardiac involvement has been reported in about 50% of SLE
patients; in some cases, as their first presentation of SLE [3]. The
most common type of cardiac involvement in SLE patients is pericarditis
[4]. While it is classically known that SLE like most of other
autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in women, cardiac involvement as
pericarditis in SLE is more prevalent in male patients [2]. Although
being a common manifestation of SLE, it is uncommon for acute fibrinous
pericarditis with constrictive features to be the first presentation of
SLE in patients with severe manifestations and in need for hospital
admission [5].