Pericarditis

The autopsy frequency of pericarditis is two to six percent excluding uremic pericarditis and pericarditis secondary to myocardial infarction. The hospital incidence in adults is about one per 1000 admissions.(7,8)Pericarditis is easily overlooked as a cause of chest pain, particularly if the pain is atypical and not too bothersome to the patient. Consideration of pericarditis in the differential diagnosis of chest pain, careful auscultation for a pericardial friction rub and the use of ultrasound to confirm pericardial effusion will increase the frequency of diagnosis. While the prognosis in viral pericarditis is usually excellent, caution is indicated in advice and follow up because of the frequency of recurrences, the possibility of irreversible myocardial damage and the occasional development of constriction. Etiologic factors other than acute viral infection must always be considered.