Asked by: Bernie Rusca
medical health heart and cardiovascular diseases

What does pericarditis pain feel like?

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A common symptom of acute pericarditis isa sharp, stabbing chest pain, usually coming on quickly.Sitting up and leaning forward tends to ease the pain, whilelying down and breathing deep worsens it. Some people describe thepain as a dull ache or pressure in their chest. The chestpain may feel like a heart attack.


Moreover, where is the pain with pericarditis?

If you have acute pericarditis, the most commonsymptom is sharp, stabbing chest pain behind the breastboneor in the left side of your chest. However, some people with acutepericarditis describe their chest pain as dull, achyor pressure-like instead, and of varying intensity.

Furthermore, how do you treat pericarditis pain? Most pain associated with pericarditisresponds well to treatment with pain relieversavailable without a prescription, such as aspirin or ibuprofen(Advil, Motrin IB, others). These medications also help lesseninflammation. Prescription-strength pain relievers also maybe used. Colchicine (Colcrys, Mitigare).

Regarding this, how long does pain from pericarditis last?

The symptoms of acute pericarditis canlast from a few days to 3 weeks. Chronic pericarditismay last several months.

What triggers pericarditis?

The cause of pericarditis is oftenunknown, though viral infections are a common cause.Pericarditis often occurs after a respiratory infection.Chronic, or recurring pericarditis is usually the result ofautoimmune disorders such as lupus, scleroderma and rheumatoidarthritis.

Related Question Answers

Bosco Quente

Professional

Is pericarditis hard to diagnose?

Fever is another common symptom of acutepericarditis. Other symptoms are weakness, troublebreathing, coughing and palpitations, which are feelings that yourheart is skipping a beat, fluttering, or beating too hard ortoo fast. Chronic pericarditis often causes tiredness,coughing and shortness of breath.

Paulene Tchartorizhsky

Professional

How do you test for pericarditis?

The diagnosis of pericarditis is made by historyand physical examination. Testing usually includes anelectrocardiogram (EKG, ECG), chest X-ray, and echocardiogram, orultrasound of the heart. The inflammation of pericarditis isusually treated with anti-inflammatory medications (such asibuprofen).

Facundo Iotti

Professional

Does pericarditis cause fatigue?

A common symptom of acute pericarditis is asharp, stabbing chest pain, usually coming on quickly. It's oftenis in the middle or left side of the chest, and there may be painin one or both shoulders. Chronic pericarditis oftencauses tiredness, coughing and shortness ofbreath.

Singh Morujoo

Explainer

How do you know if chest pain is muscular?

Classic symptoms of strain in the chest muscleinclude:
  1. pain, which may be sharp (an acute pull) or dull (a chronicstrain)
  2. swelling.
  3. muscle spasms.
  4. difficulty moving the affected area.
  5. pain while breathing.
  6. bruising.

Renaud Liberado

Explainer

Can pericarditis cause dizziness?

Symptoms of Pericarditis:
However, you may feel symptoms of palpitations insteadof pain. You may experience a feeling of chest heaviness, ortightness. You may have nausea, sweating, or dizzinessassociated with your chest pain. It may also cause you tofeel short of breath.

Elda Schwingshackl

Explainer

Can you get pericarditis more than once?

Joce: Can you get pericarditis more than once andwhat causes it. Allan_Klein,_MD_: Yes - 30% of the time, itcan be recurrent. It is often caused by recurrent injury tothe pericardium after the initial insult (virus). It oftenrecurs after the anti-inflammatories are stopped or aftertapering.

Zahrae Grushevoi

Pundit

Does pericarditis show up in a blood test?

CT scan to look for calcium in the pericardium,fluid, inflammation, tumors and disease of the areas around theheart. Blood tests can be used to make sure you are nothaving a heart attack, to see how well your heart isworking, test the fluid in the pericardium and helpfind the cause of pericarditis.

Rayyan Samira

Pundit

What antibiotics treat pericarditis?

The initial treatment of tuberculouspericarditis should include isoniazid 300 mg/day, rifampin600 mg/day, pyrazinamide 15-30 mg/kg/day, and ethambutol 15-25mg/kg/day.

Konimba Hoepfer

Pundit

How long do you treat pericarditis?

Depending on the cause of your pericarditis,you may need an antibiotic or antifungal medication. If yoursymptoms are severe, last longer than 2 weeks, or clear upand then return, your doctor may also prescribe ananti-inflammatory drug called colchicine.

Yailen Rosso

Pundit

How long should I take ibuprofen for pericarditis?

A full-dose NSAID should be used (aspirin, 2-4g/d; ibuprofen 1200-1800 mg/d; indomethacin 75-150 mg/d);treatment should last at least 7-14 days.

Ziara Carod

Pundit

What does anxiety in chest feel like?

Feeling faint, chest pains, and dizzinessare symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks. Anxietychest pain is frequently described as a sharp, stabbingsensation that starts suddenly, even if the person is inactive.feeling out of control of the situation. numbness andsweating in the feet and hands.