How Serious is Paricarditis?

[LisaInTheNetherlands]

Hi~

I am an American living over seas in the Netherlands and this morning I got a phone call from my mother in the US saying that she when to the ER yesterday with pain in her chest.  She was diagnosed with paricarditis and sent home with pain killers and that's abut it.  This isn't the first time she's had this, she had open heart surgery when she was 8 years old to repair a malformed hear valve, thus making her susceptible to paricarditis.

But this is the first time she's had it since she's been totally alone.  I know that she is supposed to rest, but does she need someone to be there to help prepare food for her and care for her?  How serious is paricarditis?  Do I need to get on a plane back to the US?

Thanks for your help and answers.

Lisa

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Lisa,

Thanks for your question.

Pericarditis can be a relatively harmless condition (if you call discomfort harmless) or can be associated with serious conditions like tuberculosis, cancer, or a heart attack.

If your mother has had pericarditis before, and has a reason to have pericarditis, such as the previous open heart surgery, then chances are this episode are from the previous open heart surgery.

When seeing patients like your mother, I look for other potential, obvious causes for pericarditis, but do not do extensive searches for tuberculosis, and the like, unless something seems different.  For instance, new weight loss, a breast mass, or a different type of chest pain would be red flags for something more serious.

The bottom line is that you need to discuss the issue with your mother.  If she feels okay and does not feel that she needs you home, then listen to her.  If something does not feel right, then go home.

Hope that helps.

[LisaInTheNetherlands]

Thanks for your comments and help!  Luckily everything else seems to be going well with my mother.  She hasn't shown any other signs of further illness and she seems to be relived from her pain with the meds she received.  She has to go in for another EKG because hers was fluctuating when she was at the hospital...but she says that is ok now.    

Though, I wonder since you mentioned cancer...what kinds of cancer can paricarditis be associated with?  

Thanks

Lisa

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Lisa,

Pericardial involvement can be seen with breast and lung cancers (most commonly), lymphoma, and melanoma.  Almost any cancer can spread to the pericardium, but these are the classic associations.  I would caution you about scaring your mother with this information; cancer is associated with pericardial involvement, but it is certainly not one of the more common causes of pericarditis.

Hope that helps.

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Hank,

Unfortunately, I didn't realize until just recently that I could respond to comments.  I will certainly do my best to monitor the comments in the future and answer when appropriate.

Thanks for your kind words.

RCJ

[ding825]

A related discussion, heart was started.