Uremic pericarditis natural history


 * Associate Editor-In-Chief: Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S.; Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S.

Natural history, Complications and Prognosis
Click on the blue links below to read more about specific complications of uremic pericarditis:

Pericardial Effusion
Uremic pericarditis often can be complicated by significant fluid buildup around the heart, a condition known as a pericardial effusion.

Pericardial Tamponade
If the fluid accumulates too rapidly or is too large, then cardiac tamponade, a condition in which the heart is compressed by the fluid and cannot pump enough blood forward may occur. Cardiac tamponade may require urgent intervention including pericardiocentesis. This complication is more common in patients with specific underlying etiologies such as malignancy, tuberculosis, or purulent pericarditis and rarely occurs in idiopathic pericarditis.

Constrictive Pericarditis
If scarring of the sac around the heart (the pericardium) occurs, then this is called constrictive pericarditis which may require surgical stripping of the scar (pericardiectomy).

Uremic pericarditis may lead to hemorrhagic pericarditis and is associated with significant morbidity and poor prognosis.