PURULENT PERICARDITIS IN A PATIENT WITH D ERMATOPOLYMYOSITIS

The authors report the case of a 33-year-old patient with dermatopolym yositis, admitted to hospital for acute cystic pericarditis with fever and deterioration of the general state. The aetiological diagnosis wa s obtained by analysis of the pericardial fluid after surgical drainag e, revealing purulent Staphylococcus aureus pericarditis. This case em phasises that, despite the marked; rarity of pericardial effusion in t he course of dermatopolymyositis, due to the steroid sensitivity of th is disease, the possibility of septic contamination should be consider ed in the presence of persistent pericarditis in the context of this d isease.