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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Chest pain is the most characteristic symptom:

  • sharp and well localized
  • relieved by leaning forward
  • sometimes pain may radiate to left shoulder, or down the arm or into the abdomen
  • there may be a pleuritic element - pleuropericarditis

Possible signs include:

  • a pericardial rub, heard at the left sternal edge, and may be transient
  • signs of right ventricular failure, for example dependent oedema
  • pulsus paradoxus
  • Kussmaul's sign

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