Inflammation is the body’s normal response to injury or infection. It helps your body to heal. Like the rest of your body, inflammation can happen in your heart.
There are three main types of inflammation that can happen to the heart:
Sometimes people have both pericarditis and myocarditis – this is referred to as myopericarditis.
Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac that surrounds your heart (pericardium). The pericardium is made up of two thin layers of tissue, separated by fluid. When they become inflamed, they can rub together, or against the heart.
Pericarditis can be caused by a variety of things. Sometimes the cause of pericarditis isn’t clear, but sometimes it is caused by:
Every person’s body will reach differently to these causes – so if they may cause pericarditis in some people, but not in everyone.
The symptoms you experience can differ depending on the cause of your pericarditis. Pericarditis can be recurrent, which means that it returns after a period of having no symptoms. Symptoms can include:
To diagnose pericarditis, your healthcare professional might use:
The treatment for pericarditis will depend on the cause, but might include:
Most cases of pericarditis are mild and will resolve themselves without requiring treatment. However, in about 5% of cases, the fluid build-up becomes large enough to interfere with your heart’s functioning. This is called cardiac tamponade and is a medical emergency, medical treatment should be sought immediately.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the muscles in the walls of the heart. Myocarditis can lead to permanent changes in the heart, such as cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, or heart failure.
Myocarditis can be caused by a variety of things, including:
Symptoms of myocarditis can include:
To diagnose myocarditis, your healthcare professional might use:
Treatments for myocarditis can include:
Most cases of myocarditis are mild and will resolve themselves without requiring treatment. However, more serious cases can lead to permanent damage to the heart in the form of cardiomyopathy.
Endocarditis is inflammation or active infection of the lining and/or valves of the heart. Endocarditis can happen to both the heart’s own tissue; or implantable devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators, or prosthetic heart valves.
Endocarditis is caused by either:
Symptoms of endocarditis can include:
To diagnose endocarditis, your healthcare professional might use:
Treatments for endocarditis include:
The prognosis for endocarditis varies significantly depending on the cause of the condition, and the timeliness of treatment. It can leave permanent damage in the heart’s valves, or lead to heart failure.
Endocarditis is a medical emergency, and medical treatment should be sought immediately.
You can’t always prevent inflammation in your heart, but there are things you can do to reduce your risk:
It is important to speak to your healthcare professional to work out what is best for you. It is crucial to never stop taking your medicines without speaking to your healthcare professional first. Things they might suggest are:
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Last updated29 July 2025