The most prominent symptoms of pericardial effusion

Pericardial effusion is the most prominent manifestation of pericardial disease and is more common in middle-aged female patients. Some pericardial effusions are also infectious and can be infected by bacteria, viruses, etc. Patients with pericardial effusion usually feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and sometimes chest pain. If pericardial effusion is severe, it can also lead to pericardial disease and requires timely treatment. So, what are the most prominent symptoms of pericardial effusion?

Pericardial effusion is a common clinical manifestation and one of the important signs of pericardial disease. It can be seen in exudative pericarditis and other non-inflammatory pericardial lesions and can usually be confirmed by physical examination and X-ray examination. When pericardial effusion persists for more than several months, it constitutes chronic pericardial effusion.

Causes

The common causes of pericardial effusion can be divided into two categories: infectious and non-infectious. 1. Infectious pericardial effusion includes tuberculosis, viruses (coxsackie, influenza and other viruses), bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, pneumococcus, Gram-negative bacilli, fungi, etc.), protozoa (amoeba), etc.; 2. Non-infectious pericardial effusion includes tumors (especially lung cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, mediastinal tumors, etc.), rheumatism (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, etc.), heart damage or large blood vessel rupture, endocrine metabolic diseases (such as hypothyroidism, uremia, gout, etc.), radiation damage, effusion after myocardial infarction, etc.

Clinical manifestations

The disease is more common in women, and the age of onset is mostly menopause. Patients can usually carry out their daily activities without any discomfort. When symptoms occur, they are mostly shortness of breath and chest pain. Some patients experience pericardial obstruction symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which gradually subside or even disappear as the disease progresses. Since there is almost no history of acute pericarditis, the time of onset cannot be determined. When the pericardial effusion suddenly and dramatically increases, the adaptive expansion of the pericardium is reduced and the increase in effusion manifests as restrictive pericardial effusion, and pericardial obstruction may occur.