title: Antinuclear antibody in pericardial fluid from a patient with primary cardiac lymphoma.
abstract: Pericarditis may be the initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Although it is known that antinuclear antibody can be detected in the serum of patients with a wide variety of diseases, it has been proposed that the detection of antinuclear antibody in serosal fluid is a sensitive and specific test for determining that effusions are due to systemic lupus erythematosus. A case is presented in which antinuclear antibody in high titer was identified in the pericardial fluid of a patient who was found at autopsy to have a primary cardiac lymphoma. The case indicates that antinuclear antibody detected in serosal effusions should not be considered pathognomonic for systemic lupus erythematosus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104-4283.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Leventhal
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: DeMarco
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Zurier
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000276:immunology*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear