Chronic Perocarditits
August 29th, 2008 at 11:31pm
Under Casues+ Chronic Perocarditits+ Details+ New+ overview
Pericarditis can be defined as inflammation of the thin and protective membrane that lines the heart from outside. The inflammation here means redness and swelling of the membrane. The membrane surrounds the heart and keeps it in its proper anatomical location. The heart is most delicate organ in the human body and any pressure on it makes it uncomfortable and painful. The membrane is closest to the heart and thus inflammation of the membrane makes heart to pain which is the first symptom of pericarditis.
In case of acute pericarditis, commonest symptom is sharp and stabbing chest pain that is felt just underneath the breastbone or slightly left side of the chest. Nevertheless, some of the people suffering from acute pericarditis report their chest pains as dull and achy or feeling like someone has put lots of pressure on their chests. The intensity varies and they describe that the pain may travel to their neck, left shoulder and then coming down to the left arm finally ending in left palm (called as radiating pain in medical science).
The chest pain is most discomfort among all the symptoms pericarditis features. The heart becomes heavy and there is a feeling of something that is crushing the heart. The pain generally steps up when the patient lies down or takes deep breath. Oppositely, it eases up when the patient sits up and leans forward. At times, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the pericardial chest pain and the pain that occurs during heart attack.
Apart from chest pain, there is some other symptoms pericarditis as mentioned below:-
§ Mild fever or feverish
§ Shortness of breath (medically known as dyspnea)
§ Coughing (generally with phlegm)
§ Hiccups (medically known as eructation)
§ Muscle-ache or severe body pain especially left part of the body.
§ Uneasiness
§ Congestion in the thorax/chest region
§ Giddiness (in some cases)
In some of the cases, people suffer from nausea, profuse sweating/perspiration that are associated with chest pain. There might be indigestion that ends up with constipation but not necessary in all the cases of pericarditis. Whatever the symptoms pericarditis has, it makes patient tired, very weak and exhausted. The condition certainly interrupts routine activities and level of consciousness.
The type of chest pain felt during the pericarditis is also different from the angina. The angina generally turns worse with exertion but remains unaffected with deep breathing. In case, the pericarditis is left untreated, it can develop its complications. The complication is fatal and the patient is at risk of sudden cardiac failure.
The symptoms of complication of pericarditis include severe breathlessness or shortness of breath (dyspnea) and irregular or rapid heartbeats all of a sudden. The coughing is severe and unbearable up to an extent that it becomes difficult for the patient to speak and to breathe. The cough might bring up foamy pink or yellow mucus. The sudden heart failure requires immediate medical attention that requires intensive cardiac care unit admission and proper treatment.
By admin
August 9th, 2008 at 03:29pm
Under Chronic Perocarditits
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, and fatigue. Coughing occurs because the high pressure in the veins of the lungs forces fluid into the air sacs. Fatigue occurs because the abnormal pericardium interferes with the heart’s pumping action, so that the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Other common symptoms are accumulation of fluid in the abdomen (ascites) and in the legs (edema). Sometimes fluid accumulates in the space between the two layers of the pleura, the membranes covering the lungs (a condition called pleural effusion) (see Pleural Disorders: Pleural Effusion). However, chronic pericarditis does not cause pain.
Chronic effusive pericarditis may produce few symptoms if fluid accumulates slowly. The reason is that the pericardium can stretch gradually, so that cardiac tamponade may not occur. However, if fluid accumulates rapidly, the heart can become compressed and cardiac tamponade may occur.
Symptoms provide important clues that a person has chronic pericarditis, particularly if there is no other reason for reduced heart performance—such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or a heart valve disorder.
Echocardiography (see Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders: Echocardiography and Other Ultrasound Procedures) is often performed to confirm the diagnosis. It can detect the amount of fluid in the pericardial space and the formation of fibrous tissue around the heart. It can confirm the presence of cardiac tamponade. Chest x-rays may detect calcium deposits in the pericardium. These deposits develop in nearly half of the people who have chronic constrictive pericarditis.
The diagnosis can be confirmed in one of two ways. Cardiac catheterization can be used to measure blood pressure in the heart chambers and major blood vessels. These measurements help doctors distinguish pericarditis from similar disorders. Alternatively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) can be used to determine the thickness of the pericardium. Normally, the pericardium is less than 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) thick, but in chronic constrictive pericarditis, it is usually ¼ inch (6 millimeters) thick or more.
A biopsy may be performed to help determine the cause of chronic pericarditis—for example, tuberculosis. A small sample of the pericardium is removed during exploratory surgery and examined under a microscope. Alternatively, a sample can be removed using a pericardioscope (a fiber-optic tube used to view the pericardium and to obtain tissue samples) inserted through an incision in the chest.
By admin
August 9th, 2008 at 03:28pm
Under Chronic Perocarditits
Chest agony is the most widespread symptom of pericarditis.
Chronic constrictive pericarditis is a uncommon infection that generally outcomes when scarlike (fibrous) tissue types all through the pericardium. The fibrous tissue tends to agreement over the years, compressing the heart. Thus, the heart does not enlarge as it does in most kinds of heart disease. Because higher force is required to load up the compressed heart, force in the veins that come back body-fluid to the heart increases. Fluid builds up in the veins, then leaks out, and builds up in other localities of the body, for example under the skin.
Causes
Usually, the origin of chronic effusive pericarditis is unidentified, but it may be cancerous infection, tuberculosis, or an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Usually, the origin of chronic constrictive pericarditis is furthermore unknown. The most widespread renowned determinants are viral diseases andemission treatment for breast cancerous infection or lymphoma. Chronic constrictive pericarditis may furthermore outcome from any status thatdeterminants acute pericarditis, for example rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, a preceding wound, heart surgery, or a bacterial infection. Previously, tuberculosis was the most widespread origin of chronic pericarditis in the United States, but today tuberculosis anecdotes for only 2% of cases. In Africa and India, tuberculosis is still the most widespread origin of all types of pericarditis.
By admin