Initial treatment of acute pericarditis in adults

NSAIDs: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.
* NSAIDs are the preferred antiinflammatory for nearly all patients with acute idiopathic or viral pericarditis. Glucocorticoids should be used for initial treatment of acute pericarditis only in patients with contraindications to NSAIDs or for specific indications (ie, systemic inflammatory diseases, pregnancy, renal failure), and should be used at the lowest effective dose. Refer to the UpToDate topic on treatment of acute pericarditis for glucocorticoid dosing information.
¶ Response to treatment includes improvement/resolution of symptoms within 1 to 2 weeks of initiation of therapy and normalization of C-reactive protein level (if measured).
Δ Refer to UpToDate content on recurrent/refractory pericarditis for therapeutic approach to patients who are not showing clinical improvement.