Pericarditis Recurrence Occurs in About 20 Percent of Patients With Lupus

TUESDAY, March 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and pericarditis, recurrence of pericarditis occurs in more than 20 percent of patients and associated factors include younger age, prednisone treatment, and active SLE disease, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in JAMA Network Open.

Yoo Jin Kim, M.D., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues examined the frequency of and risk factors associated with recurrence of pericarditis in patients with SLE in a retrospective analysis of a single-center prospective cohort of patients enrolled between 1988 and 2023.

A total of 2,931 patients were included in the cohort; 590 had a history of pericarditis. The researchers found that 120 patients (20.3 percent) experienced recurrent pericarditis during a median follow-up of 6.7 years and a total of 5,277 years of follow-up. Among patients with recurrence, 50.8 and 49.2 percent experienced only one and two or more recurrences, respectively. Factors associated with recurrence in a multivariable analysis included younger age (60 years and older versus younger than 40 years: rate ratio, 0.11), prednisone treatment (≥20 versus 0 mg: rate ratio, 1.99), active SLE disease (SLE Disease Activity Index ≥3 versus 0: rate ratio, 1.55), and time since initial episode (three to 10 versus <1 year: rate ratio, 0.32).

“Our data suggest that despite the common practice to use prednisone to treat SLE flares, the use of oral corticosteroids should be avoided for patients with a recent history of pericarditis,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Abstract/Full Text