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Pericarditis (cont.)
Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Daniel Lee Kulick, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Dr. Kulick received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Southern California, School of Medicine. He performed his residency in internal medicine at the Harbor-University of California Los Angeles Medical Center and a fellowship in the section of cardiology at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
In this Article
- Pericarditis facts
- What is pericarditis?
- What causes pericarditis?
- What are the symptoms of pericarditis?
- How is pericarditis diagnosed?
- What is the treatment for pericarditis?
- What are the complications of pericarditis?
- Find a local Cardiologist in your town
What causes pericarditis?
Pericarditis is usually from unknown causes (idiopathic). The cause may often be viral infections. Causes of pericarditis include:
Infections:
- Viruses
- Bacteria (like tuberculosis)
- HIV
Inflammatory diseases:
Diseases that can cause generalized inflammation in other places within the body can also cause inflammation of the pericardium. Some examples include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic lupuserythematosus (SLE)
- Scleroderma
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
Metabolic illnesses:
- Kidney failure and uremia
- Hypothyroidism
Heart disease:
- Myocardial infarction or heart attack can cause direct irritation and inflammation of the pericardial lining.
- Dressler's syndrome describes inflammation caused by an immune response to heart tissue damage from heart attack, open heart surgery, or a trauma.
Other causes:
- Tumors
- Radiation therapy
- Medications
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