Jill, a high school superintendent living with recurrent pericarditis
Healthcare providers have specific ways of determining if you are experiencing a pericarditis flare
Heart conditions other than pericarditis may need to be ruled out by taking a health history, looking at the heart, and doing blood work. Once your doctor is certain you have had a pericarditis flare and not something else, they may go on to consider a diagnosis of recurrent pericarditis.
Your doctor may decide to do some or all of these tests.
Ruling out heart attack
Your healthcare provider will likely perform a test, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) to determine if you are having a heart attack.
Evaluating medical history
Your healthcare provider may ask questions about your medical history:
- Previous illnesses
- Past medical procedures
- Other possible conditions (especially autoimmune conditions, including lupus or rheumatoid arthritis)
- Most importantly, your healthcare provider may ask if you have had a previous pericarditis flare and how long it has been since your last one
Listening to the heart
Your healthcare provider may listen to your heart for a special sound called a “pericardial rub,” which happens when the inflamed layers of the pericardium rub together.
Looking at the heart
Your healthcare provider may perform 1 or more imaging tests to examine the physical condition of your heart.
- X-ray: to check for enlargement of the heart and pericardium
- Echocardiogram: uses sound waves to produce an image that shows how well your heart is working and if there is any extra fluid in the pericardium (called pericardial effusion)
- Computed tomography (CT) scan: for a more detailed picture of the heart and pericardium to rule out other conditions, like myocarditis
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): to take pictures of your heart to show if there is inflammation in the pericardium
Taking blood tests
Your healthcare provider may obtain a blood sample to look for special markers that suggest inflammation:
- Elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and/or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR—also called “sed rate”) indicate underlying inflammation
Why do you think people with pericarditis are misdiagnosed?
Hear from Joao
Joao
A medical student who is living with recurrent pericarditis gives us his take on diagnosis and treatment.
Quote from Joao
"Doctors should know about pericarditis because that's what could be happening with their patients. If you're feeling chest pain, shortness of breath, and all the other symptoms related to pericarditis."
In a Kiniksa survey conducted by The Harris Poll of 125 people living with recurrent pericarditis showed that
96% of patients were diagnosed with other conditions before receiving a recurrent pericarditis diagnosis
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals from May 4 to June 1, 2023, among 125 adults aged 18+ who have been diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis and are not currently pregnant or breastfeeding and have never used/are not currently using an IL-1 antagonist. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data are accurate to within ±8.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
At your appointment
Did you know?
Proactive discussions with your doctor about your recurrent pericarditis and treatment options could help with effective management of your disease.
Quote from Dr. Jonathan Salik
"The patient's history is critical in making the proper diagnosis, research shows that a patient with recurrent pericarditis receives an average of 3 other incorrect diagnoses before arriving at the proper diagnosis."
Last updated: 04/30/25
The content on this page has been written and approved by Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals.