A little, protective sac surrounds your heart called a pericardium. The pericardium protects your heart, rooting it in place and keeping it lubricated so that it can operate smoothly, strongly and efficiently. Sometimes this sac can become inflamed, and then you’ve got a condition known as acute pericarditis.
Acute pericarditis is not an unusual condition, but can last for up to six weeks. One of the chief symptoms of acute pericarditis is chest pain. The chest pain can be sudden and sharp, and alleviated by leaning forward, and made worse by lying down. It can also be dull and pounding, and increase in intensity with time. The causes of chest pain are so many, however, that when suffering them you must go to your doctor to figure out exactly what you’re suffering from. Acute pericarditis chest pain can spread throughout your upper body, but again this is true of more than one kind of chest pain and must be specifically diagnosed with the help of your doctor.
There’s another symptom, however, that’s more specific to acute pericarditis. This symptom is known as the pericardial rub, and it’s specific only to acute pericarditis. You’ll need a stethoscope to figure out if you have pericardial rub; another reason that seeing your doctor about it is the best course of action. Your doctor will place the stethoscope to your heart and listen. Interestingly, the sign of pericardial rub is a scratchy, squeaky noise; some have compared it to the noise of leather rubbing on leather. Your heart can make other sounds depending on what it’s suffering from (heart murmur, for example), but these sounds are subtly different from those of pericardial rub. It is speculated that the sounds are caused by the two layers of the pericardium, which have become swollen and unusually large, rubbing together.
Fever is another sign of acute pericarditis, given the fact that there’s inflammation in your body. But fever, obviously, can mean a great many things, just as chest pain can mean a great many things. Therefore, you’ll want to see your doctor in order to be specifically diagnosed with something.
Some levels of acute pericarditis are more dangerous than others; some, therefore, can be treated in an outpatient way, while others require that you stay in the hospital as a regular patient. Your treatment will depend on the intensity of the disorder.
Your doctor will most likely administer drugs to you that relieve pain and swelling, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. If the pain is too intense, you may receive a stronger treatment such as morphine. Your doctor will also make sure than no other drugs you’re taking will serve to make your acute pericarditis worse. These are common treatments of the disorder.
Other treatments for acute pericarditis include kidney dialysis, and, if the disorder is caused by bacteria, administration of antibiotics and even surgery, the point of which is to drain any buildup that may have occurred away and out of the pericardium. The way this works is that a small piece of the pericardium is snipped off and then a tub is inserted which drains pus and bacteria from the heart.
There are other medications for the treatment of acute pericarditis that go beyond the usual effects of ibuprofen and aspirin. It is always important, when suffering from chest pains, to see a doctor immediately. That way you can know exactly what you’re suffering from. If you happen to be suffering from acute pericarditis, your doctor will immediately make arrangements for you to begin the process of recovery. These arrangements, as noted above, can be very simple (aspirin) and very complex (surgery). It is important to know that the pain and discomfort of acute pericarditis can be relieved with the proper medication and medical advice and procedure.