Pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardium from various origins, such as infection, neoplasm, autoimmune process, injuries, or drug-induced . Viral infections are a leading cause of myocarditis and pericarditis worldwide . Pericarditis usually leads to pericardial effusion, or constrictive pericarditis .

General Cardiology

Pericardial disease

Pericarditis, pericardial effusion, and constrictive disease

Also called pericarditis, pericardial effusion, constrictive pericarditis

Sources: 12 new papers · 5 key papers · updated Oct 20, 2026

Overview

Unverified · drafted by AI from the sources cited below

Definition

Pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardium from various origins, such as infection, neoplasm, autoimmune process, injuries, or drug-induced.1

Diagnosis and risk stratification

The 2025 European Society of Cardiology guidelines identify that the accuracy of conventional biomarkers and advanced imaging to detect myopericaridal disease is reduced in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.1 The incidence of myocarditis pre-COVID was reported at 1 to 10 cases/100 000 individuals, while with COVID it ranged from 150 to 4000 cases/100 000 individuals, representing at least a 15x increase over pre-COVID levels.2 Vaccine-associated cases occur predominantly in male patients aged 12 to 40 years.2 A population based cohort study of 4 931 775 individuals observed that 269 participants developed myocarditis or myopericarditis, of whom 196 (73%) were male and 108 (40%) were 12-39 years old.3

Treatment

In patients with acute and recurrent pericarditis, clinical trials in >1600 patients have shown that colchicine halves the risk of recurrence.1 The relative risk observed was 0.50.1 A case of corticosteroid-dependent recurrent pericarditis achieved remission using the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist Anakinra for almost 30 months, which was later tapered to an injection of 100mg three times per week.2 For pericarditis associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, treatment typically includes corticosteroids and discontinuation of therapy, while refractory cases have benefited from plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin, mycophenolate, tacrolimus, or infliximab.3

How this page is built

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Supports benefit, no benefit shown, and mixed describe the direction of the measured effect. No benefit shown means the evidence does not support a benefit. It is not a finding of harm. Too little evidence means the question did not clear that bar.

Study count, RCT count, and patient count are separate. The patient total adds only studies that are linked into a study family and whose sample size is not flagged as implausible. A reversal is listed only when at least one randomized trial sits on each side of the change.

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Pericardial disease

Overview

Definition

Diagnosis and risk stratification

Treatment

New research on Pericardial disease

Key papers

How this page is built

Leading authors