10th May 2025

Pericarditis

Pericarditis is caused by inflammation of the pericardial  layers. The causes of pericarditis are widespread and can be  separated into two different groups; non-infectious and  infectious. However, around 80-90% are ‘idiopathic’ in  nature.  

Pericarditis can be split into 3 different categories:  

1. Acute pericarditis – no effusion seen in the acute phase  
2. Subacute pericarditis – no effusion, but transient constriction days to weeks after initial presentation  
3. Chronic pericarditis – >3 months in duration. Effusion may be present.  

Acute and subacute pericarditis usually have the same  aetiology (listed in Table 1). Chronic pericarditis can occur  following an acute episode of pericarditis, or have its own  aetiology, most commonly metastatic disease (lung cancer  being the most common), but also rheumatological  conditions (such as SLE, RA, and Behçet’s disease).