Pericarditis

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Pericarditis
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 I01.0, I09.2, I30.-I32.
ICD-9 420.90
DiseasesDB 9820
MedlinePlus 000182
eMedicine med/1781  emerg/412
MeSH D010493

Pericarditis is an inflammation (-itis) of the pericardium (the fibrous sac surrounding the heart).

Contents

[edit] Classification

Pericarditis can be classified according to the composition of the inflammatory exudate.[1]

Types include:

Pericardiocentesis can be performed to permit analysis of the pericardial fluid.

[edit] Acute vs. chronic

Acute pericarditis is more common than chronic pericarditis, and can occur as a complication of infections, immunologic conditions, or heart attack.

One form of chronic pericarditis is constrictive pericarditis.

  • Clinically: Acute (<6 weeks), Subacute (6 weeks to 6 months) and Chronic (>6 months)

[edit] Clinical presentation

Chest pain, radiating to the back and relieved by sitting up forward and worsened by lying down, is the classical presentation. Other symptoms of pericarditis may include dry cough, fever, fatigue, and anxiety. Pericarditis can be misdiagnosed as myocardial infarction (heart attack), and vice versa.

The classic sign of pericarditis is a friction rub. Other signs include diffuse ST-elevation and PR-depression on ECG in all leads except aVR and V1; cardiac tamponade (pulsus paradoxus with hypotension), and congestive heart failure (elevated jugular venous pressure with peripheral edema).

Since the mid-19th Century, retrospective diagnosis of pericarditis has been made upon the finding of adhesions of the pericardium.[2]

[edit] Causes

[edit] Infectious

[edit] Other

[edit] Pathophysiology

[edit] Complications

Most cases of acute idiopathic pericarditis resolve without complications or recurrence. Complications may include:

[edit] Treatment

The treatment in viral or idiopathic pericarditis is with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Severe cases may require:

[edit] References

  1. ^ images
  2. ^ Austin Flint (1862). "Lectures on the diagnosis of diseases of the heart: Lecture VIII". American Medical Times: Being a weekly series of the New York Journal of Medicine 5 (July to December): 309–311. 

General References

[edit] Links

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