Idiopathic recurrent serositis—Off the beaten track

• Published in: Respirology case reports Vol. 9; no. 11; pp. e0859 - n/a
• Main Authors: Roy, Melanie Trishna Hui Min, Loh, Chee Hong, Sriranganathan, Melonie, Takano Pena, Angela Maria, Raghuram, Jagadesan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-11-2021; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adenosine; Antibodies; Antigens; Biopsy; Case Report; Case Reports; Dehydrogenases; effusion; Etiology; Genotype & phenotype; Inflammation; Laboratories; Lupus; Neutrophils; Patients; Pleural effusion; pleuropericardial; Proteins; recurrent; serositis; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Steroids; effusion; serositis; recurrent; pleuropericardial
• DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.859
• EISSN: 2051-3380

A 63‐year‐old female presented with chest pain and fever, and was found to have recurrent pleuropericardial effusions. Extensive investigations including infection screen and serologies, autoimmune screen and pleural and pericardial biopsy revealed no secondary aetiologies. She was diagnosed with idiopathic recurrent serositis (IRS). Our patient developed rash to naproxen, so she was started on colchicine monotherapy and responded well clinically. A review of the literature demonstrated that pleuropericardial effusions are rare occurrences, with patients occasionally being perceived as a medical enigma. This case study recommends an approach to guide physicians in their diagnosis and management of patients with pleuropericardial syndrome. Our case had an inflammatory phenotype, either autoimmune or seronegative serositis of unclear aetiology, which was recurrent and required pharmacological treatment. While the treatment for IRS lies in combined therapy with Nonsteroidal Anti‐Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and colchicine, monotherapy with colchicine was effective in the treatment and preventing recurrence in our unique case.
We present a case of idiopathic recurrent serositis affecting the pleural and pericardial membranes. This is an increasingly recognized entity. We include a review of the published literature along with discussions about potential treatments.