Netherlands
A 25-year-old male asked:
Diagnosed with idiopat. pericarditis 4 months ago. still feel terrible. extreme fatigue and severe back and rib pain. what could be the causes? i'm 25
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in

Dr. Sanober Buttanswered
Pulmonology 21 years experience
Rheumatologic : Depending on how much work up they did and then called it idiopathic pericarditis( which is by definition a diagnosis of exclusion) . You should ask if they ran all the rheumatologic work up including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, sjogrens etc. You should consider seeing a rheumatologist if you have not seen one yet.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Richard Humesanswered
42 years experience
Might recur: You need to see someone about this for a more precise diagnosis. Sometimes pericarditis can have a long course of ups and downs. It usually does get better. Occasionally the preicardium can be damaged, and restrict heart function which might be an indication for surgical pericardiectomy.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jul 10, 2015
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