[Pericarditis: classification, etiology, pathogenesis].

The most frequent pericardial diseases are inflammations which in surviving patients are recognized much less frequently comparing with autopsy material. The most frequent causes of pericarditis include various infections, inflammations associated with systemic diseases, acute myocardial infarction, traumas and iatrogenic lesions, and neoplasms. Viral etiology is most often in infectious pericarditis. A considerable percentage of idiopathic pericarditis is most probably of such etiology. Bacterial (purulent) pericarditis in contrast to viral one is characterized by high mortality and frequent progression of acute to chronic type. The latter with the symptoms of pericardial constriction occurs in at least 50% of the patients with tuberculous etiology irrespective of specific treatment. In recent years the number of iatrogenic pericarditis has increased related to hypersensitivity or autoimmunity. One should mention here post-cardiotomy syndrome, pacemaker implantation, diagnostic procedures such as biopsy, cardiac catheterization, hypersensitivity to drugs and radiation pericarditis as a complication of therapy.