[Pericarditis as the presenting manifestation of giant cell arteritis].
BACKGROUND
Pericarditis is rarely the presenting manifestation of giant cell arteritis. We report two additional patients.


METHODS
Two patients aged over 70 years presented with acute chest pain. Echocardiography evidenced a pericarditis. Laboratory features showed increased level of acute phase reactants. On questioning, both patients had cephalic symptoms related to giant cell arteritis. Temporal artery biopsy histopathology was characteristic of giant cell arteritis in both. Oral prednisone therapy (20mg/D) led to a complete remission with no clinical relapse of pericarditis after a follow-up of one year and three years, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Giant cell arteritis must be evoked in elderly patients with pericarditis because corticosteroids are necessary to avoid ischemic complications of the disease. However, fortuitous association can also be considered. No severe complication of pericarditis has been reported in the literature on corticosteroid therapy.
Moulis
G
G
Salle Le-Tallec, service de médecine interne, université Paul-Sabatier, CHU de Toulouse-Purpan, place du Docteur-Baylac, TSA 40031, Toulouse cedex, France.
Sailler
L
L
Astudillo
L
L
Vernet
J
J
Couret
B
B
Arlet
P
P
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000209:etiology*