Pericarditis - intrinsic Flashcards
What is pericarditis?
inflammation of the pericardium
- Which arteries perfuse the pericardium?
- Which nerve innervates the pericardium?
- mammary arteries
- phrenic nerve
What are the 2 layers of the pericardium, their major characteristics and their function?
Inner visceral layer
- microvillous surface
- secretes pericardial fluid
Outer parietal layer
- composed of collagen & elastin fibrils
- provides structure to pericardium
What is the function of the pericardium?
- protects heart
- restrains heart
pWhat is the process causing all the signs and symptoms of pericarditis?
inflammation of the pericardial tissue
(well innervated, hence severe pain)
What is the cause of concomitant pericardial effusion during pericarditis?
response to the inflammation of the pericardium
The normal pericardium is permeable to water and electrolytes and pericardial fluid is in dynamic equilibrium with the blood serum
Inflamed pericardial tissue impairs this equilibrium
Hence there is a collection of fluid (pericardial effusion)
Why does inflamed pericardial tissue impair the dynamic equilibrium between the pericardium and blood serum?
Due to local production of inflammatory mediators e.g. cytokines, TNF, ILs
- can cause weeping of fluid from the visceral pericardium,
- AND exudation of larger molecules that attract additional fluid & impair resorption
What are the more common causes of pericarditis?
90% of cases:
- idiopathic
- viral infections
- autoimmune
Name some viruses that can cause pericarditis
- Coxsackie virus A9 or B1-4
- Echo 8
- mumps
- EBV
- cytomegalovirus
- varicella
- rubella
- HIV
- Parvo-19
What are the less common causes of pericarditis?
10% of cases:
- metabolic disorders
- fungal/bacterial/parasitic
- secondary immune processes
- pericarditis and pericardial effusions in diseases of surrounding organs
- trauma
- neoplasms
- certain drugs
Name some autoimmune causes of pericarditis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- systemic sclerosis
- reactive arthritis
- familial Mediterranean fever
- systemic vasculitides
- IBD
What are some secondary immune causes of pericarditis?
- rheumatic fever
- post-cardiotomy syndrome
- post-MI syndrome
Name some metabolic disorders that can cause pericarditis
- uraemia
- myxoedema
Name some iatrogenic causes of pericarditis
- radiotherapy
- cardiac surgery
- Percutaneous cardiac interventions
How many days does it take for pericarditis to occur post-MI?
early: 1 to 3 days after an MI (pericarditis epistenocardica)
delayed: weeks/months after an MI (Dressler’s syndrome).