pericarditis

[benedwards1]

I recently had pretty severe viral infection and since than I was diagnosed ith pericarditis.  Having symptoms such as headache, neck pain, muscle ache memory fog and fatigue.  Are all these symptoms related to the acute pericarditis?

[mrwjd]

Pericarditis, like most other words ending in "-itis," just means inflammation, in this case inflammation of the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart.  It can have any one of several causes, which will determine the treatment.

A lot of us who have heart surgery, or a heart attack, have inflammation of the pericardium afterward; usually this is (we hope it is!) from irritation and not an infection, and is called "noninfectious pericarditis."  It can be a lot of trouble if not treated with NSAIDs or something to reduce the edema, but it is not quite as difficult to control as the infectious types.

You say you had a bad viral illness, but you don't say for sure whether your doctor has told you this is viral pericarditis, caused by the virus.  The other type, similar to viral, is bacterial pericarditis, again an infection that has to be treated.

No matter what is the cause, pericarditis can be very painful.  It is deceptive, because the pain shoots suddenly to locations around the body, so you need other symptoms and maybe tests to diagnose it.  The most persistent pain I had (and it's fairly typical, I'm told) was sharp pain like a bolt of lightning in my left shoulder when the inflamed pericardium was annoyed.  On bad days, it sent shots of pain and broader pain everywhere, so I imagine your pattern of pain is consistent with it.

You REALLY don't want to put off treatment!  It can get worse, even to where they have to do open heart surgery again to clean it up.

I'd be interested to know how your cardiologist is treating it.  Mine was noninfectious, so they gave me huge doses of ibuprofen to calm it down, but I'm sure with the infectious types they give you plenty of stuff, maybe intravenously!       .

[kenkeith]

Mild cases may improve on their own. Treatment for more-severe cases may include medications and, rarely, surgery. Early diagnosis and treatment may help to reduce the risk of long-term complications. Symptoms are:

Shortness of breath when reclining
Low-grade fever
An overall sense of weakness, fatigue or feeling sick
Dry cough
Abdominal or leg swelling

[jessgren]

my brother in law was being treated for an infection and is now diagnosed with pericarditis. what medication did they give you for the infection?