Cardiac rehabilitation in 32-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by constrictive pericarditis

Abstract

Background: The cardiovascular system is severely impacted by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which can cause fibrosis of the pericardium known as constrictive pericarditis (CP). Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has a proven track record of lowering cardiovascular death and morbidity while also enhancing functional ability, wellbeing, and quality of life (QoL). Clinical Case Description: A 32-year-old woman presented with symptoms of difficulty and shortness of breath while doing physical activity. She had a history of SLE complicated by CP and pulmonary hypertension. She was referred to undergo CR. Before the program was carried out, she did a 6-minutes walking test (6MWT) with a result of 187 meters and the patient’s Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items
(DASS-21) was Moderate-Severe-Severe. After one month of the program, the patient reported that her breathing has improved and she can perform somewhat more strenuous tasks without experiencing dyspnea, DASS-21 become Moderate-Moderate-Moderate and the 6MWT is 340 m. Conclusion: The result from the program instance highlights the importance of CR for individuals with SLE who have CP. This is crucial as it can improve the patient’s physical activity level, enhancing functional ability, reducing symptoms, lowering risk factors, enhancing emotional and self- stability, and eventually improving QoL.