title: Coxiella burnetii pericarditis: report of 15 cases and review.
abstract: Q fever is characterized by its clinical polymorphism, and pericarditis associated with Q fever has occasionally been described. Herein we report 15 cases of Coxiella burnetii pericarditis, 9 from our data bank and 6 encountered within the past 12 months. Three patients presented with life-threatening tamponade. We compare our cases with the 18 previously reported and with 60 Q fever-matched controls at our center. This study showed that Q fever pericarditis can present as acute as well as chronic disease; we describe relapse after 6 months in association with a serological profile compatible with the chronic form of disease (phase I C. burnetii IgG titer of > or = 800). Discriminant factors among patients and controls are age of > 52 years (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 5.66), the occurrence of general symptoms such as arthralgias or myalgias (adjusted OR, 6.54), and a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate (adjusted OR, 16.37). No specific symptoms or underlying cardiac predispositions are observed.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, and INSERM U379, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseilles, France.
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carrieri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology