What is pericarditis?
Pericarditis is swelling and irritation of the tissue surrounding the heart. This tissue is called the pericardium.
In a large percentage of clinical cases, it has a mild manifestation, therefore, it is quite expected to resolve without specific treatment. To manage more severe symptoms, drug therapy becomes necessary, and in rare cases, surgery is recommended.
The most common symptom of pericarditis is chest pain. At this time, the patient feels a sharp or stinging pain. Sometimes it is manifested by dull pain or pressure-like chest pain.
Pericarditis pain is felt behind the sternum or in the left chest area.
Pain may:
- Spread to the neck or arms;
- Aggravated by coughing, lying down or taking deep breaths;
- Relieve when sitting or leaning forward.
Other symptoms of pericarditis include:
- Cough;
- Fatigue or general weakness;
- Swelling of legs;
- Low fever;
- Accelerated heartbeat;
- Shortness of breath while lying down;
- Abdominal swelling.
The exact cause of pericarditis cannot always be determined, and at this time the patient's diagnosis is idiopathic pericarditis.
The cause may be:
- Reaction of the immune system during heart damage (on the background of heart attack or heart surgery);
- Infections;
- Trauma to the heart or chest;
- Lupus;
- Rheumatoid arthritis;
- Kidney failure;
- Cancer;
- Some medications (some kind of side effect).
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pericarditis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352510
