Acute pericarditis


























Viruses
Coxsackievirus A
Coxsackievirus Ba
Echoviruses
Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus
Mumps virus
Influenza viruses
Cytomegalovirus
Herpes simplex virus
Hepatitis B virus
Measles virus
Adenovirus
Human immunodeficiency virus
Varicella virus
Bacteria
Burkholderia pseudomallei
Staphylococcus aureus a
Streptococcus pneumoniae a
Haemophilus influenzae a
Neisseria meningitidis a
Streptococcus pyogenes
α-Hemolytic streptococci
Klebsiella spp.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Escherichia coli
Salmonella spp.
Shewanella algae
Anaerobes
Listeria monocytogenes
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Coxiella burnettii
Actinomyces spp.
Nocardia spp.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Mycobacteria
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterium avium complex
Fungi
Histoplasma capsulatum
Blastomyces dermatitidis
Candida spp.
Aspergillus spp.
Cryptococcus neoformans
Coccidioidomycosis
Parasites
Toxoplasma gondii
Entamoeba histolytica
Toxocara canis
Schistosomes
Wuchereria bancrofti





a Most common causes of acute bacterial or viral pericarditis in North America.




Table 38.2 Major noninfectious causes of acute pericarditis



























Collagen vascular diseases
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Rheumatoid arthritis
Scleroderma
Rheumatic fever
Drugs
Procainamide
Hydralazine
Myocardial injury
Acute myocardial infarction
Chest trauma (penetrating or blunt)
Postpericardiotomy syndrome
Sarcoidosis
Familial Mediterranean fever
Uremia
Neoplasia
Primary
Metastic
Irradiation




Pathogenesis


Microbial pathogens may gain entry into the pericardial space by direct extension from the chest (e.g., in the context of pneumonia or mediastinitis), through direct extension from the heart itself (e.g., endocarditis), through hematogenous or lymphatic spread (bacteremia or viremia), or via direct inoculation (e.g., surgery, trauma). The presence of an adjacent or otherwise concurrent infection, as well as a history of recent surgery or trauma, may provide significant clues to specific pathogens. For example, purulent pericarditis due to N. meningitidis has been diagnosed in patients with concurrent bacterial meningitis. In a review of 162 children with purulent pericarditis, all but 10 patients had at least one additional site of infection, suggesting that isolated cardiac disease occurs infrequently in those with purulent pericarditis. In cases where either S. aureus or H. influenzae type B was the responsible pathogen, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, and cellulitis were the most frequently identified additional sites of infection. Tuberculous pericarditis, however, usually occurs in the absence of identifiable pulmonary disease, suggesting that the pathogenesis involves the spread of mycobacteria from adjacent mediastinal lymph nodes into the pericardium.


The inflammatory response in the pericardial space leads to extravasation of additional pericardial fluid, polymorphonuclear white blood cells, and monocytes. During bacterial or fungal pericarditis, the inflammatory process may be sufficient to lead to loculation and fibrosis. Significant fibrosis may lead to constrictive pericarditis, which is manifest by signs and symptoms associated with compromised ventricular filling. The rapid accumulation of exudative fluid, as is often seen in purulent pericarditis, frequently leads to hemodynamic changes. Cardiac tamponade occurs when increased fluid within the pericardial space prevents adequate right atrial filling and leads to reduced stroke volume, low output cardiac failure, and shock. If the accumulation of pericardial fluid occurs more slowly, as is common with viral pericarditis, large amounts may be present without hemodynamic effect.


Symptoms and clinical manifestations


Chest pain is the most common presenting symptom of acute pericarditis. Due to the relationship between the phrenic nerve and pericardium, pain resulting from inflammation of the pericardium may be retrosternal with radiation to the shoulder and neck or may localize between the scapulae. Often, the pain is worsened by swallowing or deep inspiration or is positional and worsened when the patient is supine but lessened by leaning forward while sitting. Dyspnea is also a common presenting symptom. If pericarditis has resulted from contiguous spread of bacteria or fungi from an adjoining structure, the signs and symptoms of the primary infectious process may predominate. Purulent pericarditis due to a bacterial pathogen tends to be more acute and severe in nature, whereas viral pericarditis is typically of lesser severity. Symptoms of tuberculous pericarditis tend to be insidious in presentation.


In infants, the presenting signs and symptoms of pericarditis may be nonspecific and include fever, tachycardia, and irritability. Older children may complain of chest and/or abdominal discomfort. A study by Carmichael et al. in 1951 showed that more than half of patients diagnosed with “nonspecific” pericarditis of presumed viral origin described a respiratory illness preceding the diagnosis of pericarditis by 2 to 3 weeks.

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Jun 18, 2016 | Posted by in INFECTIOUS DISEASE | Comments Off on Acute pericarditis

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