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Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart.
Fairly common in SLE & easily treated with NSAIDs or steroids.
Pericarditis occurs when the lining of the pericardium becomes
inflamed, because it has been attacked by antibodies.
Symptoms of pericarditis are chest pain that may feel worse when
lying down & better when you sit or lean forward, fever, rapid
heart beat, & shortness of breath. Sometimes patients with pericarditis
have no symptoms.
It is diagnosed using blood tests, ECG, & chest x-rays.
Pericarditis does not imply organ-threatening disease, since the
heart tissue is not involved.
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