PERICARDIAL EFFUSION is a rare initial manifestation of lupus erythematosus. Even more infrequent is the association of this disease with hyperthyroidism. The purpose of this report is to describe a case which presented this unusual clinical picture and to discuss the possible relationship.
Report of a Case
A 9-year-old Negro girl was admitted to the University of Maryland Hospital on Feb 4, 1965, because of dyspnea and abdominal swelling of two weeks' duration. For two months prior to her admission, she had been listless and had tired easily. The past history was not significant except that seven months preceding the admission she had developed cough, bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, and fever. A chest roentgenogram was normal at that time, and she was treated symptomatically. She had a history of allergy to penicillin. The family history revealed that her maternal grandmother had "thyroid trouble" and her mother had diffuse toxic goiter with