Home > Medical Articles > Articles beginning with P > Pericarditits After a Heart Attack > Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Medical References
Diseases & Conditions
Women's Health
Mental Health
Men's Health
Medical Web Links
MOL Site Map
Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
Read more health news
Pericarditits After a Heart Attack
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
- View All
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
After a heart attack, the thin lining that surrounds the heart may become inflamed or irritated. This condition is known as pericarditis.
What is going on in the body?
The lining or sac that surrounds the heart is called the pericardium. A heart attack that injures the entire thickness of the heart can sometimes irritate and inflame the heart sac.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
A heart attack causes this condition. Those with larger heart attacks are more likely to develop this condition. Other causes of pericarditis include a bacterial infection, which causes bacterial pericarditis, and adhesions, which cause constrictive pericarditis.