Article

[Adult-onset Still's disease revealed by a pericardial tamponade: report of two cases].

Service de Médecine Interne, Hôpital La-Rabta, 1007 Tunis, Tunisie.
La Revue de Médecine Interne (impact factor: 0.61). 08/2006; 27(7):546-9. DOI:10.1016/j.revmed.2006.03.027 pp.546-9
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Adult onset Still's disease is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology characterized by the association of a high spiking fever, an evanescent skin rash, arthritis, and hyperleukocytosis. Pericarditis is amongst the most common systemic manifestations of adult onset Still's disease.
We report on two patients with a pericardial tamponade revealing an adult onset Still's disease in a 52-year-old female and a 31-year-old male. Pericardial fluid was bloody in the two cases, and histopathology only disclosed non specific inflammatory changes. Both patients received corticosteroids and outcome was uneventful with a follow-up of 8 years and 12 months, respectively.
Pericardial tamponade is an uncommon clinical feature of adult-onset Still's disease and usually occurs at disease onset. It makes the diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease difficult as the other disease manifestations are commonly neglected. Adult onset Still's disease should be added to the differential of acute pericarditis and tamponade.

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18 May 2013

Keywords

12 months
 
31-year-old male
 
52-year-old female
 
8 years
 
acute pericarditis
 
Adult onset Still's disease
 
adult-onset Still's disease
 
adult-onset Still's disease difficult
 
differential
 
evanescent skin rash
 
follow-up
 
histopathology
 
patients
 
Pericardial fluid
 
Pericardial tamponade
 
pericardial tamponade revealing
 
Pericarditis
 
systemic inflammatory disorder
 
uncommon clinical feature
 
unknown etiology