Page contents
- What is pericarditis
- symptoms
- Causes and risk factors
- Multiples
- Diagnosis
- treatment
- protection
Pericarditis is a disease of the pericardium, the inflammation of the pericardium.
The pericardium consists of two adjacent layers, with a small amount of fluid between them.
Pericardium functions
The pericardium has many functions, the main ones being:
- Stabilization of the heart and major blood vessels in the rib cage.
- Preventing the spread of infectious diseases and tumors.
- Protecting the heart from harsh contacts with surrounding organs, and other functions.
Despite the important functions of the pericardium, it is possible to live without it, and there are cases with congenital defects, that is, children born without a pericardium and are able to live normally.
Pericarditis symptoms
The most common symptoms of pericarditis are:
- Pain in the rib cage, and the pain is sharp, stinging and appears in the middle of the rib cage or on the left side of it, the pain increases when taking a deep inhale due to the movement of the heart inside the inflamed pericardium, and the pain also increases when eating, or when moving from a sitting position to a sitting position stand up.
- An increase in body temperature.
When the infection is caused by a virus, influenza-like symptoms appear 7-10 days before the onset of symptoms of pericarditis.
Causes and risk factors for pericarditis
Among the causes and factors of pericarditis:
- Viral diseases.
- Tuberculosis.
- Metabolic diseases.
- Myocardial infarction.
- After the heart operation is open.
- Renal failure.
- different tumors;
- Autoimmune diseases.
- Idiopathic inflammation.
Complications of pericarditis
Complications of pericarditis include:
1. Cardiac tamponade
Sometimes the amount of fluid in the pericardium increases dramatically and rapidly, surrounding all the cavities of the heart, the atria, and the ventricles.
This makes the process of filling the heart difficult, and thus difficult to perform, and may develop into an emergency condition called cardiac tamponade, where blood pressure drops sharply, and the patient suffers shortness of breath and sweating.
The emergency requires immediate treatment and fluid aspiration with a needle inserted into the lower border of the rib cage, and the insertion directed by the echo machine.
2. Chronic Pericarditis
A rare complication that is primarily characterized by tuberculosis, tumors, or kidney failure, and is not accompanied by any pain in the rib cage.
In general, thickening of the pericardium appears, including calcification in 50% of cases. In the advanced stages, patients develop symptoms of congestion on the right side, ascites, hepatomegaly, and edema of the feet.
3. Constrictive pericarditis
It is a complication of chronic pericarditis, sometimes for unknown reasons (Idiopathic).
In this case, scar tissue forms in the pericardium, which makes it difficult to expand the heart when it fills with blood, and in difficult cases, surgical intervention is needed to exfoliate the pericardium.
Pericarditis diagnosis
Pericarditis can be diagnosed through the following procedures:
- Physical examination. A pericardial rub can be heard.
- Imaging of the rib cage when large amounts of fluid have accumulated, more than 250 cubic centimeters of fluid.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG - electrocardiogram) showing a characteristic picture of pericarditis.
- Differential diagnosis of myocardial infarction.
- Echocardiography.
- Ultrasound is the most accurate and sensitive diagnostic method.
- Examine a small sample of the fluid and repeat the examination as needed.
- Monitoring the amount of fluid in the pericardial space is important in order to ensure early detection of a large amount of fluid that would put the patient at risk.
- Laboratory tests, showing an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and an increase in the number of white blood cells (leukocytes).
Pericarditis treatment
Treatment is related to the causes of pericarditis, and is determined according to the causative agent of pericarditis, for example if a tumor appears in the pericardium, its primary source must be identified, or if the causative agent of pericarditis is tuberculosis, then anti-tuberculosis therapy is given.
The most important treatments used are:
1. Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Most patients, especially those with viral infection or inflammation of unknown etiology, respond to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, or other drugs, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
2. Steroids
In only a few cases are steroids recommended, and only for patients who do not respond to anti-inflammatory drugs, or patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus.
3. Aspiration of pericardial fluid
If the ultrasound shows medium or large amounts of fluid, it is recommended to suction the fluid for diagnosis and treatment.
The fluid is sent to a laboratory for blood cell equilibrium, protein concentration, tuberculosis and microscopic examinations.
If fluid builds up again several times, especially in tumors, then drugs can be injected into the pericardial cavity to cause partial cicatrization of the pericardium and prevent recurrent fluid buildup.
Prevention of pericarditis
There is no way to prevent pericarditis.
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