Pericardial Effusion and Unilateral Pleural Effusion as a first symptom of Systemic Sclerosis without Scleroderma

Abstract

Context: systemic sclerosis is a connective tissue disease noted for autoimmunity, vasculopathy and fibrosis, in which cardiac and pulmonary manifestations, with pericardial effusion and pleural effusion as initial symptoms, are not uncommon. However, instability related to cardiac tamponade with hemodynamic involvement is unusual and associated with high mortality.

Clinical case: we report the case of a 50-year-old woman with progressive dyspnea, orthopnea and edema of the lower extremities who was referred for left pleural effusion, recurrent pericardial effusion and secondary cardiac tamponade, and was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis without scleroderma.

Conclusion: initial cardiac manifestations of SSc are uncommon, but when pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade occur, SSc has high morbidity and mortality and must be rapidly diagnosed to provide timely treatment