Carbamazepine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as cardiac tamponade

Here we report the case of a patient who presented with acute cardiac tamponade due to drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The patient had been treated for a seizure disorder with carbamazepine, a drug that has previously been demonstrated to cause SLE-like syndromes. Further serologic analysis demonstrated the likelihood of drug-induced SLE in this patient, with the rare presentation of cardiac tamponade.