Constrictive pericarditis complicating dermatomyositis.

Chronic constrictive pericarditis may complicate both rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. To our knowledge, however, this is the first time it has been described in a patient with dermatomyositis. This association should be kept in mind as constrictive pericarditis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and Budd-Chiari syndrome in rheumatic diseases.