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Pericarditis

  • Overview
  • Theory
  • Diagnosis
  • Management
  • Follow up
  • Resources
Last reviewed: 26 Mar 2025
Last updated: 16 Jul 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presencia de factores de riesgo
  • dolor torácico
  • roce pericárdico
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • fiebre
  • mialgias
  • signos de insuficiencia cardíaca derecha
Full details

Risk factors

  • sexo masculino
  • 20 a 50 años de edad
  • infarto de miocardio (IM) transparietal
  • cirugía cardíaca
  • neoplasia
  • infecciones virales y bacterianas
  • uremia o en diálisis
  • enfermedades autoinmunes sistémicas
  • lesión pericárdica
  • radiación mediastínica
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • electrocardiograma (ECG)
  • troponina sérica
  • líquido pericárdico/hemocultivo
  • velocidad de sedimentación globular (VSG)
  • proteína C-reactiva
  • urea sérica
  • hemograma completo (HC)
  • radiografía de tórax
  • ecocardiografía
Full details

Tests to consider

  • tomografía computarizada (TC) de tórax o resonancia magnética (IRM) cardíaca
  • pericardiocentesis/biopsia
Full details

Treatment algorithm

INITIAL

en la presentación inicial

ACUTE

taponamiento o derrame sintomático

purulenta

no purulenta

ONGOING

enfermedad recurrente

Contributors

Authors

Antonio Abbate, MD, PhD

Professor of Cardiology

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

University of Virginia

Charlottesville

VA

Disclosures

AA has received grant support and consultant fees from Applied Clinical Intel, Astra Zeneca, Cromos Pharma, Eli Lilly, Implicit Biosciences, Janssen, Kiniksa, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Olatec, R-Pharm, and Serpin Pharma.

Acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Katherine Wu MD, previous contributor to this topic.

Disclosures

KW declares that she has no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Susan Denfield, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Division of Pediatric Cardiology

Texas Children's Hospital

Houston

TX

Disclosures

SD declares that she has no competing interests.

Shrilla Banerjee, MBMD, MRCP

Consultant Cardiologist

East Surrey Hospital

Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust

Redhill

UK

Disclosures

SB declares that she has no competing interests.

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  • Differentials

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    • Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases
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  • Patient information

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