Results for pericarditis
On this page:
 
Medical Encyclopedia:

Pericarditis

Definition

Pericarditis is an inflammation of the two layers of the thin, sac-like membrane that surrounds the heart. This membrane is called the pericardium, so the term pericarditis means inflammation of the pericardium.

Description

Pericarditis is fairly common. It affects approximately one in 1,000 people. The most common form is caused by infection with a virus. People in their 20s and 30s who have had a recent upper respiratory infection are most likely to be affected, along with men aged 20–50. One out of every four people who have had pericarditis will get it again, but after two years these relapses are less likely.

— Christine Kuehn Kelly



 
 
Dictionary: per·i·car·di·tis  (pĕr'ĭ-kär-dī'tĭs) pronunciation
n.

Inflammation of the pericardium.


 
Dental Dictionary: pericarditis

n

An inflammation of the pericardium associated with trauma, malignant neoplastic disease, infection, uremia, myocardial infarction, collagen disease, or idiopathic causes.

 

Inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart. It is usually caused by bacterial or virus infections, but it may also be linked with rheumatic fever. The pericardial cavity swells with fluid, constricting the heart. Symptoms include chest pains, anxiety, and fear. Physical activity should be avoided until the inflammation is completely resolved, and then activity should be resumed only with medical guidance. See also myocarditis.

 
Veterinary Dictionary: pericarditis

Inflammation of the pericardium. Initially there is an audible friction rub on auscultation. Later as fluid accumulates there is a muffling of the heart sounds and sometimes a washing machine sound on auscultation. Congestive heart failure develops terminally. Classified according to exudate produced as fibrinous, fibrinohemorrhagic, hemorrhagic, purulent.

  • bread-and-butter p. — see bread and butter pericarditis.
  • constrictive p. — adhesions between the epicardium and pericardium limit the movement of the heart sometimes sufficiently to cause congestive heart failure.
  • niche p. — see niche pericarditis.
  • traumatic p. — occurs in cattle and goats, rarely sheep, when a sharp foreign body is swallowed and lodges in the reticulum, subsequently perforating its wall. The perforation may go as far forward as the pericardial sac, especially if the animal is pregnant. The animal dies of a combination of congestive heart failure and toxemia due to the bacterial infection.
 
Wikipedia: pericarditis
Pericarditis
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 I01.0, I09.2, I30.-I32.
ICD-9 420.90
DiseasesDB 9820
MedlinePlus 000182
eMedicine med/1781  emerg/412
MeSH C14.280.720

Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium (the fibrous sac surrounding the heart). Pericarditis is further classified according to the composition of the inflammatory exudate: serous, purulent, fibrinous, and hemorrhagic types are distinguished (images).

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

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, and vice versa.

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

Pathophysiology

Causes

Complications

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

Fibrinous pericarditis

Fibrinous pericarditis is an exudative inflammation. The pericardium is infiltrated by the fibrinous exudate. This consists of fibrin strands and leukocytes. Fibrin describes an amorphous, eosinophilic (pink) network. Leukocytes (mainly neutrophils) are found within the fibrin deposits and intrapericardic. Vascular congestion is also present. The myocardium has no changes. Photo at: Atlas of Pathology

Pericarditis due to Tuberculosis

Pericarditis caused by tuberculosis is difficult to diagnose, because definitive diagnosis requires culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis from aspirated pericardial fluid or pericardial biopsy, which requires high technical skill and is often not diagnostic (the yield from culture is low even with optimum specimens). The Tygerberg scoring system helps the clinician to decide whether pericarditis is due to tuberculosis or whether it is due to another cause: night sweats (1 point), weight loss (1 point), fever (2 point), serum globulin > 40g/l (3 points), blood total leucocyte count <10 x 109/l (3 points); a total score of 6 or more is highly suggestive of tuberculous pericarditis.[1] Pericardial fluid with an interferon-γ level greater than 50pg/ml is highly specific for tuberculous pericarditis.

Treatment

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

References

  1. ^ Reuter H, Burgess L, van Vuuren W, Doubell A. (2006). "Diagnosing tuberculous pericarditis". Q J Med 99: 827–39. PMID 17121764. 

External links



 
 

Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "pericarditis" at WikiAnswers.

 

Copyrights:

Medical Encyclopedia. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pericarditis" Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!  
Click here to download now. 

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page:   E-mail   print Print  Link  

 

Keep Reading

Mentioned In: