[Pericarditis and exudative pleuritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus before and after therapy].
OBJECTIVE
To establish the presence of pericarditis and exudative pleuritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) prior to and after glicocorticoid and cytotoxic therapy.


METHODS
In 43 patients, 39 women and 4 men, with SLE (disease was diagnosed according to revised American College of Rheumatology ACR criterias, 1997), aged between 20 and 61 and averaged disease duration of 5.54 +/- 5.74 years, heart/lung radiology and heart echosonography were performed in order to discover possible serositis (pericarditis and exudative pleuritis) prior to and after cytotoxic and glucocorticoid therapy.


RESULTS
The presence of pericarditis and exudative pleuritis was established in 20 patients (47%) before the therapy. After the therapy pericarditis was present in 2 patients, average volume of 150 ml, and exudative pleuritis was also present in phrenicocostal sinus, but its volume was minimal. This table is showing the results of our study on patients with SLE and serositis. The results were compared with the results of European and Belgrade group in year 2000. [table: see text]


CONCLUSIONS
Higher frequency of serositis (pericarditis and exudative pleuritis) in our study is probably a result of more active disease, and the effects of cytotoxic and glucocorticoid therapy were satisfing exept in two patients who were resistant on therapy. That is the reason why we had to consider plasmapheresis.
Mulić
Suada
S
Interna klinika, UKC Tuzla, Poliklinika za mikrobiologiju, patologiju, imunologiju i molekularnu medicinu, Medicinski fakultet, Univerzitet u Tuzli.
Selesković
Hajrija
H
Krizić
Mario
M
Kusljugić
Zumreta
Z
Baraković
Fahir
F
Smajić
Elnur
E
Kapidzić-Basić
Nedima
N
Kasumagić
Sida
S
Hajdarović
Alma
A
Krizić
Natasa
N
Sabitović
Damir
D
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis