Acute Pericarditis

Acute pericarditis is an acute inflammatory disease of the pericardium, which may occur in many different disease states (both infectious and non-infectious). Usually the diagnosis is based on symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath), electrocardiographic changes (ST elevation), physical examination (pericardial friction rub) and elevation of cardiac biomarkers. It may occur in isolation or be associated with an underlying inflammatory disorder. In routine clinical practice, acute pericarditis can be associated with myocarditis due to their overlapping etiologies.