CASE REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Acute Pericarditis After Ovarian Stimulation in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Literature Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- 2Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, China
- 3Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China
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Acute pericarditis is a clinical syndrome characterized by acute inflammation of the pericardium, which may result from various infectious or non-infectious etiologies. The characteristic clinical manifestations primarily encompass chest pain, classic electrocardiographic changes, and new or worsening pericardial effusion. Acute pericarditis may manifest independently or as a component of systemic disease. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-associated pericarditis typically occurs during active disease phase. Ovarian stimulation promotes ovulation and alters sex hormone levels, potentially triggering or exacerbating SLE. We report a 34-year-old woman with stable SLE who developed a disease flare, predominantly manifesting as acute pericarditis, following ovarian stimulation. Significant clinical improvement was observed following treatment with glucocorticoids, colchicine, and immunosuppressive agents. A literature review identified eight additional cases of SLE flares following ovarian stimulation, presenting with arthritis, rash, pericarditis, nephritis, or thrombotic events. Consequently, a comprehensive recurrence risk assessment and close monitoring of disease activity are recommended for SLE patients undergoing this fertility treatment.
Keywords: acute pericarditis1, ovarian stimulation2, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)3, ovulation induction (OI)4, controlled ovarian stimulation (COS)5
Received: 28 Sep 2025; Accepted: 14 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Shen, Deng, Wen, Zou and Cao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhenhua Wen, 151728544@qq.com
Yu Zou, zouyu@wust.edu.cn
Yang Cao, psycaoyang@163.com
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