Causes

• Viral infections like Coxsackie virus
• Bacterial infection like pneumococcus or tuberculosis
• Fungal
• Idiopathic
• Immunological conditions like lupus erythematous, rheumatic fever
• Myocardial infarction
• Cancer
• Hypothyroidism
• HIV infection and Aids
• Trauma to heart
• Uremia
• Malignancy
• Side effects of some medications like isoniazid, cyclosporine, hydralazine
• Radiation induced
• Aortic dissection
• Tetracyclines

 Clinical types

• Serous pericarditis
• Purulent pericarditis
• Fibrous pericarditis
• Caseous pericarditis
• Hemorrhagic pericarditis

It can also be classified as acute or chronic

Acute pericarditis is very common. It usually occurs as a complication of infections, immunological conditions or heart attack.

Signs and symptoms

• Chest pain: The pain of often referred to the back. It is relived by sitting up forward and worsened by lying down.
• Ankle swelling
• Breathing difficulty
• Pleuritis
• Cough
• Fever
• Weakness
• Anxiety
• Friction rub
• Electrocardiogram shows ST-elevation, PR-depression in all the leads except in aVR and V1.

 Tests and diagnosis

• Chest x-ray
• MRI scan of the chest
• Echocardiogram
• Heart CT scan

 Treatment:

• Pericardiocentesis
• Antibiotics
• Analgesics for pain like non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Steroids
• Colchicine
• Surgery

 Complications

• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Cardiac tamponade
• Constrictive pericarditis
• Heart failure