Acute pericarditis

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Acute pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium (the flexible two-layered sac that envelops the heart) that begins suddenly, is often painful, and causes fluid and blood components such as fibrin, red blood cells, and white blood cells to enter the pericardial space.

Infection and other conditions that inflame the pericardium cause pericarditis.
Fever and chest pain, which is sharp and varies with position and movement and occasionally may feel like a heart attack, are common symptoms.
Doctors base the diagnosis on symptoms and occasionally by hearing a tell-tale sound when listening to the heartbeat with a stethoscope.
People are often hospitalized and given drugs to reduce pain and inflammation.

(See also Overview of Pericardial Disease and Chronic Pericarditis.)
Sometimes the inflammation can cause excess fluid to enter the pericardial space (pericardial effusion). Sometimes, when pericarditis is due to an injury, cancer, or heart surgery, the fluid is blood.