Most people don't even know about the existence of the pericardium--the protective sac that surrounds the heart and the ingoing and outgoing blood vessels--much less that pericarditis can be a sign of a dangerous underlying illness and a serious condition in and of itself. Your risk of developing pericarditis depends on multiple factors--your cardiovascular health, whether you have any inflammatory diseases, whether you are at high risk of trauma to the chest. The one thing to know is that early treatment can help prevent complications.
Identification
Pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardium. The pericardium has two layers, separated by a thin layer of fluid. When the pericardium becomes inflamed, these layers can swell, pushing aside the liquid and rubbing up against each other. Or the amount of liquid can increase, causing the pericardium to swell and leak. Most cases of pericarditis are acute--meaning that they last for a short time, up to three weeks--but some become chronic.
Causes
In some cases, pericarditis is idiopathic--a term doctors use when they can't identify a specific cause for a disease. Viruses may be behind many of these uncertain cases of pericarditis. A more obvious cause for pericarditis is a heart attack--damaged heart muscle irritates the pericardium. Inflammatory disorders, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, can lead to inflammation in the pericardium. Pericarditis can be a complication of serious diseases like AIDS and cancer. It can also be caused through physical trauma.
Symptoms
Symptoms of pericarditis include chest pain, which is usually intense and stabbing but can also manifest as a dull ache. This pain occurs in the center or in the left side of the chest. Other symptoms include trouble breathing, dry cough, fatigue, bloating or leg swelling, and a low fever. Pericarditis itself is often a symptom of another serious disease or condition that isn't causing symptoms, such as a "silent" heart attack or a blood clot in the lung.
Complications
Pericarditis can lead to serious complications. Constricitive pericarditis occurs when inflammation scars the pericardium to the point where it has trouble expanding with the movement of the heart. The heart is therefore less efficient, leading to troubles with breathing and movement. Cardiac tamponade happens when fluid in the pericardium builds up, squeezing the heart so that it can't fill properly. Since the heart can't fill up, blood pressure drops. Cardiac tamponade can be fatal.
Treatment
Treatments for pericarditis differ depending on the severity of the inflammation. Your doctor might tell you to rest until the swelling goes down, and prescribe some painkillers to ease the chest pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, and the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine are used to control inflammation. Steroids are prescribed in when these drugs don't work well enough.
Risks
There's no real way to completely eliminate your risk of pericarditis, as inflammation of the pericardium can be caused by so many underlying reasons, some of which can't be predicted, like an accident, or cured completely, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Good overall cardiovascular health can help you avoid cardiovascular events that can lead to pericarditis, such as a heart attack. Promptly responding to pericarditis symptoms can help you lower the risk of developing chronic pericarditis or other complications.
Tags: cases pericarditis, inflammation pericardium, Cardiac tamponade, cardiovascular health, chest pain, heart attack, lupus rheumatoid