Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Prevalence, clinical associations and outcomes of pericarditis in systemic lupus erythematosus: insights from the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic
Authors' conclusion
Pericarditis affects one in five SLE patients, usually early in the disease. Most cases resolve in 3 months, but a subset experiences chronic or relapsing disease.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with SLE, University of Toronto Lupus Clinic (July 1970-March 2024)
- Participants
- 2,122 patients
- Exposure
- Inception vs Prevalent
- Inceptionn = 900
- Prevalentn = 1,222
- Outcome
- Prevalence of pericarditis
Methodological detailssingle-centre, inception and prevalent cohorts, multivariable analysis
- Single-centre
- Inception and prevalent cohorts
- Multivariable analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Pericarditis prevalence
- Overall pericarditis
- 428 of 2122 patients (20.16%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Time to pericarditis from disease onset
- Median time to development
- 0.51 years
- Median chest pain severity (170 patients)
- 6 of 10
Associated cardiac involvement
- Myocarditis
- 5.3%
- Endocarditis
- 1.9%
- Cardiac tamponade
- 1.4%
Factors associated with pericarditis (multivariable analysis)
- Higher SLEDAI-2000
- 1.06 (1.001, 1.13)
- Anti-La antibodies
- 1.52 (1.01, 2.31)
- Constitutional features
- 1.98 (1.39, 2.81)
- Skin involvement (less)
- 0.34 (0.21, 0.55)
- Multivariable analysis
Pericarditis outcomes
- Resolution within 3 months
- 79.5%
- Chronic pericarditis
- 15.6%
- Median duration of chronic pericarditis
- 4.6 months
- Relapses
- 22.9%
- No significant associations found for chronicity or relapse
Original publication
Prevalence, clinical associations and outcomes of pericarditis in systemic lupus erythematosus: insights from the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 13 December 2025. doi:10.
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