Pericarditis Flashcards
Who does it normally affect?
20 to 50 year old men
What is the pathogenesis?
Acute inflammation with leukocyte infiltration and fibrin deposition
Causes of pericarditis (name 5)
MI, Dressler’s syndrome, cardiac surgery, coxsackie B, adenovirus, echovirus, influenza, mumps, HIV, staph, strep, salmonella, tb, fungus (aspergillus), autoimmune, metabolic, malignancy, drugs, irradiation, trauma
What are the symptoms of pericarditis?
Dyspnoea, orthopnoea, relieved by leaning forward, breathlessness, pericardial effusion, tachypnoeic, tachycardic, pericardial friction rub on left lower sternal edge, fever
What investigations would you do?
RFT, TFT, RBC (leukocytosis, Raised ESR, raised CRP), CXR (often normal), ECG (concave ST elevation) looks very similar to an MI
Management?
NSAID + treat underlying cause + bed rest. Avoid NSAIDs post MI however
What is pericarditis?
Inflammation of one of the layers of the pericardium