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Pericarditis

Pericarditis · Zánět osrdečníku (perikarditida)

What it is

The heart sac inflames; classic sharp pain that eases sitting forward.

Symptoms & signs

  • Sharp chest pain worse lying flat
  • better sitting forward
  • fever
  • friction rub

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Chest pain with fainting, low blood pressure or cold, clammy skin
  • call 112 / 911 now Growing breathlessness with swollen neck veins
  • see a doctor soon Sharp chest pain that eases sitting forward
  • see a doctor soon Fever over 38 °C with chest pain

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • High-dose NSAIDs
  • colchicine 3 months (halves recurrence)
  • steroids only if resistant
  • pericardiocentesis for tamponade
  • rilonacept for recurrent pericarditis — FDA-approved 2021; fewer recurrences in RHAPSODY

Natural & lifestyle

  • Exercise restriction until inflammation settles
  • rest

Emerging & experimental

  • Anakinra for recurrent cases (used off-label)

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Anti-inflammatory diet and fish oil — plausible; untested for recurrences anecdotal / traditional
  • Acupuncture for residual chest pain — small reports only early / small studies

ICD codes