Pericarditis: causes, symptoms and treatment

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Pericarditis
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Pericarditis

• There are many problems related to the heart and
  it is very important for people to know about all
  these diseases and problems so that they can
  prevent them. One such problem is Pericarditis
  which is the occurrence of swelling and
  irritation on the pericardium, which is thin
  sac-like membrane that surrounds your heart.
  Pericarditis is a problem which often causes
  chest pain and sometimes, other symptoms also
  occur. This is normally short lived and a short
  lived problem if cured on time. When symptoms
  develop more gradually or persist, the
  Pericarditis is considered chronic. The sharp
  chest pain associated with this problem normally
  occurs when the inflamed or irritated two layers
  of the pericardium rub against each other.Under
  normal circumstances, the two-layered pericardial
  sac that surrounds your heart contains a small
  amount of lubricating fluid.

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Pericarditis
Continue

• In Pericarditis,the sac becomes inflamed and the
  resulting friction from the inflamed sac leads to
  chest pain which becomes a problem for the
  patient. Though, finding out the reason as to why
  this problem occurred is next to impossible but
  most of the doctors have identified the reason
  behind this problem to be a viral infection.This
  problem can also occur after the patient has
  suffered a major heart attack and this is due to
  the irritation occurring on the underlying and
  damaged muscles of the heart. Moreover, a delayed
  form of Pericarditis may occur weeks after a
  heart attack or heart surgery because of antibody
  formation.This delayed Pericarditis is also
  known as Dressler's syndrome which creates a lot
  of problems for the patients. Many experts
  believe Dressler's syndrome is due to an
  autoimmune response or a mistaken inflammatory
  response by the body to its own tissues following
  the heart and its tissues.

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Symptoms

• There are two kinds of Pericarditis happening to
  people. One is known as acute which only lasts
  for a few weeks and another is known as the
  chronic one which lasts for more than six months.
  If one is suffering from the acute Pericarditis,
  the most common symptom are sharp, stabbing chest
  pain behind the breastbone or in the left side of
  your chest which creates a lot of pain in the
  patient. However, some people suffering from the
  acute phase of this problem describe their chest
  pain as dull, achy or pressure-like instead, and
  of varying intensity which tends to create a lot
  of problem for them though for short durations.
  Also the pain of acute Pericarditis might move to
  the left side of the shoulder and neck.It often
  intensifies when the patient lie down or inhale
  deeply. Coughing,taking a deep breath or
  swallowing food also may make the pain worse and
  makes this problem also more complicated. Sitting
  up and leaning forward can ease the pain.

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Symptoms
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• At times, it may be difficult to distinguish
  pericardial pain from the pain that occurs with a
  heart attack.Talking of the chronic phase of
  this problem, it is normally associated with
  chronic inflammation which further results into
  fluid surrounding the heart which in medical
  terms is known as pericardial effusion. Some of
  the most common kinds of symptoms identified in
  people suffering from this problem are
• Shortness of breath when one reclines
• Sharp or piercing pain in the chest and
  especially spreading towards the center and left
  side of the chest
• Having mild and low grade fever
• Sudden swelling in the abdomen and leg of the
  patient
• Persistent dry cough

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Treatments

• The treatment in viral or idiopathic
  pericarditis is with aspirin, or non-steroidal
  anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as
  ibuprofen). Colchicine may be added to the
  above. Severe cases may require
  Pericardiocentesis to treat pericardial
  effusion/tamponade antibiotics to treat
  tuberculosis or other bacterial
  causes. Steroids are used in acute pericarditis
  but are not favored because they increase the
  chance of recurrent pericarditis. in rare cases,
  surgery in cases of constrictive pericarditis,
  pericardiectomy

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