Causes of Pericarditis

 

Pathophysiologic groups:

(1) infection

(2) periodic fevers

(3) autoimmune disorder

(4) secondary immune disorder

(5) intrathoracic disorder

(6) metabolic disorder

(7) trauma

(8) neoplastic

(9) other

 

Infection:

(1) bacterial (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrheae, Neisseria meningitidis, Hemophilus species, syphilis, Borrelia, chylamdia, etc)

(2) viral (Coxsackie, mumps, EBV, CMV, varicella, rubella, HIV, Parvovirus B19, etc)

(3) fungal (Histoplasmosis, Candida, etc)

(4) mycobacterial

(4) parasitic (Entameba, Echinococcus, Toxoplasma, etc)

 

Periodic fevers:

(1) Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF)

(2) TRAPS (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome)

 

Autoimmune disorder:

(1) systemic lupus erythematosus

(2) rheumatoid arthritis

(3) ankylosing spondylitis

(4) systemic sclerosis

(5) dermatomyositis

(6) periarteritis nodosa

(7) Reiter’s syndrome

 

Secondary immune disorder:

(1) rheumatic fever

(2) postcardiotomy syndrome

(3) postmyocardial infarction syndrome

(4) autoreactive pericarditis

 

Intra-thoracic disorder:

(1) myocardial infarction

(2) myocarditis

(3) aortic aneurysm

(4) pneumonia

(5) lung infarction

(6) esophageal disorder

(7) congestive heart failure

 

Metabolic disorder:

(1) uremia

(2) myxedema

(3) Addison’s disease

(4) diabetic ketoacidosis

(5) cholesterol pericarditis

 

Trauma:

(1) penetrating trauma

(2) blunt trauma

 

Neoplastic:

(1) primary pericardial tumor

(2) metastatic lung cancer

(3) metastatic breast cancer

(4) other metastatic malignancy (melanoma, sarcoma, etc)

(5) leukemia

(6) lymphoma

 

Other:

(1) paraneoplastic

(2) radiation

(3) electrical shock

(4) pregnancy

 

If a specific cause is not found after a complete workup then the pericarditis is designated idiopathic.