We are the combination of four hospitals: the General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital. We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus: a world-leading health park where healthcare plays a crucial role.
Below we will list the departments and units that form part of Vall d’Hebron Hospital and the main diseases that we treat. We will also make recommendations based on advice backed up by scientific evidence that has been shown to be effective in guaranteeing well-being and quality of life.
Vols saber com serà la teva estada a l’Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron? Aquí trobaràs tota la informació.
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, the membrane covering the heart. Pericardial inflammation can come about for lots of different reasons: infection (viral, bacterial, fungal or parasite) or due to multiple non-infectious causes.
The pericardium facilitates contraction of the heart, and can contain a small amount of fluid under normal conditions. When it becomes inflamed, it can cause friction during contractions of the heart, or accumulate fluid, since the pericardium is a double membrane that can be filled with fluid in cases of inflammation.
The contractility and function of the heart are generally not compromised by the effect of pericarditis. Aside from infectious causes, pericarditis may be a secondary manifestation of myocardial infarction, kidney failure, a tumour or hypothyroidism. Autoimmune diseases such as lupus or scleroderma can also cause pericarditis.
The main symptom is chest pain, which should be differentiated from angina or the pain caused by a hiatal hernia.
It affects all age groups and in younger patients (under 40 years old) it is usually caused by a virus.
It can be done by auscultation (a friction noise can be heard when the heart contracts), by electrocardiogram (specific alterations) or echocardiogram
It depends on the cause, since it is the cause that needs to be treated. In the case of viral pericarditis, the treatment is usually anti-inflammatory, usually with a very good outcome.
Heart auscultation, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram.
There is no specific prevention because pericarditis is a secondary manifestation of an uncontrollable infection or another illness.
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