Acute pericarditis induced stress cardiomyopathy.

A 67-year-old Caucasian woman presented with chest pain suggestive of acute pericarditis. On initial evaluation the apical ballooning variant of stress-related cardiomyopathy (CMP) was present. The stress CMP and acute pericarditis resolved within a week. The patient returned in four weeks with early cardiac tamponade, which required a pericardial window. Stress cardiomyopathy (CMP) has been described as a complication of post-myocardial infarction pericarditis (Dressler syndrome). Stress CMP can also be complicated by pericarditis. We describe the novel observation where idiopathic pericarditis is the primary disease, which precipitated stress CMP. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of acute idiopathic pericarditis causing stress-related cardiomyopathy.