WHAT IS RECURRENT PERICARDITIS?
Recurrent pericarditis is diagnosed when there is a recurrence of signs and symptoms of pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, at least 4 to 6 weeks after resolution of an initial acute pericarditis episode.1
While a single- or first-episode of pericarditis may be caused by several factors, including viral illness and post-cardiac injury, the pathogenesis of recurrent pericarditis is a self-perpetuating cycle of IL-1–mediated autoinflammation.2,3 Common symptoms include chest pain, cough, fever, and palpitations.2
Prevalence of disease4
It is likely that someone in your practice has recurrent pericarditis, or that one of your pericarditis patients may develop it.
- up to 30% of patients with a first episode of pericarditis will experience a recurrence within 18 months
- ~40,000 people in the Unites States seek care for recurrent pericarditis annually
- ~20,000 new cases of recurrent pericarditis are estimated to occur in the United States each year
Get ToThe Heart of Inflammation
In recurrent Pericarditis
THE CHALLENGES FACED BY PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT PERICARDITIS ARE MORE THAN JUST PHYSICAL5
Patients often experience fatigue, inability to perform routine activities, missed work time, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression during each event, and the effects last even after each acute episode has resolved.
- In a recent survey of patients with recurrent pericarditis who were not actively suffering from a flare, nearly all (95%) reported living in fear of their next recurrence, with more than 50% reporting a negative impact on their lifestyle*
*A survey of 83 adult patients with recurrent pericarditis, 75% of whom were not experiencing a recurrence at that time.
Get ToThe Heart of Inflammation
In recurrent Pericarditis
Treatment of recurrent pericarditis requires a paradigm shift.
Unlike an initial episode of pericarditis, recurrent pericarditis4,6:
- Has a median duration of 3 years in patients with ≥2 recurrences
- Has a greater risk of recurrence; after the 1st recurrence, patients have about a 50% risk of having another, and the risk goes up from there
- Is associated with ~2 to 3 times greater risk of pericardial effusion, cardiac tamponade, and constrictive pericarditis
At the heart of this disease, and driving these differences, is its distinct pathophysiology: a self-perpetuating cycle of IL-1–mediated autoinflammation.3
References:
1. Chiabrando JG, Bonaventura A, Vecchié A, et al. Management of acute and recurrent pericarditis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;75(1):76-92. 2. Adler Y, Charron P, lmazio M, et al. 2015 ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and management of pericardial diseases: The Task Force for the Diagnosis and Management of Pericardial Diseases of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J. 2015;36(42):2921-2964. doi:10.1097/CRD.0000000000000356 3. Dinarello CA, Simon A, van der Meer JWM. Treating inflammation by blocking interleukin-1 in a broad spectrum of diseases. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2012;11(8):633- 652. doi:10.1038/nrd3800 4. Klein A, Cremer P, Kontzias A, et al. US database study of clinical burden and unmet need in recurrent pericarditis. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021;10:e018950. doi:10.1161/JAHA.120.018950 5. LeWinter M, Kontzias A, Lin D, et al. Burden of recurrent pericarditis on health-related quality of life. Am J Cardiol. 2021;141:113-119. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2020.11.018 6. Lin D, Laliberté F, Majeski C, et al. Disease and economic burden associated with recurrent pericarditis in a privately insured United States population. Adv Ther. 2021;38(10):5127-5143. doi:10.1007/s12325-021-01868-7