Pericarditits After a Heart Attack

Alternate Names : Post-MI Pericarditis, Postmyocardial Infarction Pericarditis

After a heart attack, the thin lining that surrounds the heart may become inflamed or irritated. This condition is known as pericarditis.

What is going on in the body?

The lining or sac that surrounds the heart is called the pericardium. A heart attack that injures the entire thickness of the heart can sometimes irritate and inflame the heart sac.

What are the causes and risks of the condition?

A heart attack causes this condition. Those with larger heart attacks are more likely to develop this condition. Other causes of pericarditis include a bacterial infection, which causes bacterial pericarditis, and adhesions, which cause constrictive pericarditis.