Pericarditis

Pericarditis (pronunciation: peri·car·di·tis) is a heart condition. It is the inflammation of the pericardium, the tissue (sack) surrounding the heart.

Pericarditis
An ECG showing pericarditis, with ST elevation in multiple leads and slight reciprocal ST depression in aVR.
Medical specialty	Cardiology
Symptoms	Sharp chest pain, better sitting up and worse with lying down, fever
Complications	Cardiac tamponade, myocarditis, constrictive pericarditis
Usual onset	Typically sudden
Duration	Few days to weeks
Causes	Viral infection, tuberculosis, uremic pericarditis, following a heart attack, cancer, autoimmune disorders, chest trauma
Diagnostic method	Based on symptoms, electrocardiogram, fluid around the heart
Differential diagnosis	Heart attack
Treatment	NSAIDs, colchicine, corticosteroids
Prognosis	Usually good
Frequency	3 per 10,000 per year

Signs and Symptoms

Pericarditis can be acute pericarditis or chronic pericarditis. A typical symptom of acute pericarditis is a sharp, pricking chest pain taking place rapidly. It is felt in the left side of chest or the middle in women unless the pain is radiating.^{[verification needed]} The pain could go (radiate) to the upper back or be on the chest^{[verification needed]} (and it may depend on sitting/standing forward or straight posture). There may be pain in one or both shoulders, abdomen, back, and neck.

References

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