Pleural effusion in temporal arteritis.
A 73-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with a one-month history of temporal headache, low-grade fever, fatigue, nocturnal sweats and pleural pain. On the fifth day after admission she developed chest pain at the left site of the thorax, productive cough and progressive dyspnea. A pleural effusion was revealed on physical examination, as well as a bilateral temporal artery thickening. An erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 135 mm in the 1st hour was found. Chest X-ray showed left pleural effusion. Thoracocentesis revealed serous fluid exudate. A percutaneous pleural biopsy showed only minimal inflammatory changes. Temporal artery biopsy showed giant cell arteritis. The patient received prednisone 60 mg/daily with a dramatic clinical response. Pleural effusion is a rare manifestation of temporal arteritis; only seven cases have been reported worldwide. We present a new case of temporal arteritis with pleurisy.
Karachalios
George
G
Department of Medicine, Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Charalabopoulos
Alexander
A
Charalabopoulos
Konstantin
K
D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D011241:Prednisone