Acute Pericarditis

Reviewed/Revised Jun 2023
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What is acute pericarditis?

Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac (pericardium) that surrounds your heart.  

The pericardium is made of 2 thin layers. The space between the layers has some fluid that helps the layers slide easily over one another.

Acute pericarditis is sudden, painful inflammation of the pericardium. Usually, it causes fluid to build up between the layers of the pericardium.

  • Infection, heart attack, and other health problems, such as lupus and cancer, cause acute pericarditis

  • You may have a fever and sharp chest pain, but some people don't have any symptoms

  • To tell if you have acute pericarditis, doctors will do echocardiography

  • To treat it, doctors will give you medicine to lessen pain and swelling, and they may have you stay in the hospital

What causes acute pericarditis?

Causes of acute pericarditis include:

What are the symptoms of acute pericarditis?

Symptoms of acute pericarditis include:

  • Fever

  • Sharp chest pain

The pain may go down your left shoulder and arm and get worse when laying down, swallowing food, coughing, or breathing deeply.

How can doctors tell if I have acute pericarditis?

To tell if you have acute pericarditis, doctors will do an exam to listen to your heart and do:

Doctors may do blood tests and take a sample of fluid or tissue from the pericardium to see what caused the pericarditis.

How do doctors treat acute pericarditis?

Doctors treat the cause of acute pericarditis. They also give you medicine to lessen your pain and swelling, such as:

  • A corticosteroid to lessen swelling

If medicine isn’t helping or a lot of fluid has built up, doctors may:

  • Have you stay in the hospital to monitor your progress

  • Remove fluid from your pericardium using a needle and small catheter (pericardiocentesis)

  • Do surgery to drain the fluid from your pericardium

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