Sports | Pericarditis

Sports

During an acute inflammation no sports should be done in any case. There is no need to stay in bed, but you should take it easy. Frequently, the accompanying pain alone leads to a refusal to do sports.

The inflammation is usually healed after one to two weeks. Then you can start with sports again. No sports should be done for about two weeks.

The ban on sports is stricter if the inflammation has spread from the pericardium to the heart muscle (perimyocarditis). In this case, you should take it easy even after the disease has healed, so that the heart is not directly overstrained at the beginning. This is because in perimyocarditis, the heart is muscularly restricted in its pumping function.

Sometimes, however, the pathogen can also be spread if an infection such as a cold or a stomach flu is not cured properly. In most cases, pericarditis is caused by a viral pathogen. Accordingly, pericarditis is usually preceded by a harmless cold or similar one or two weeks before. If one does not take proper care of oneself during the infection but continues to do sports, the disease does not heal properly and the pathogen can spread further and, for example, spread to the pericardium.

Duration

If, as in most cases, the inflammation of the pericardium is caused by a virus, it takes about one to two weeks for the disease to heal on its own. This is the case in 70 to 90% of patients. If the cause is different, the inflammation usually lasts longer and the duration cannot be estimated in general.

Consequences

In about 70% of cases, pericarditis heals on its own without any further consequences. In some cases, however, the inflammation may spread to the heart muscle. This is known as perimyocarditis, in which the work of the heart is restricted.

In addition, after the pericarditis has healed, a recurrence can occur a few weeks later, i.e. a recurrent pericarditis.This occurs in almost 30% of cases. If a relapse occurs once, the risk of recurrence is increased. A recurrent pericarditis is usually accompanied by an effusion.

It is then usually a wet pericarditis. If the inflammation does not heal, the acute form can turn into the chronic form. This is usually accompanied by calcification and scarring, resulting in a so-called armored heart, or pericarditis constricitiva.