Final answer:
Pericarditis is often caused by bacterial infections and can be self-limiting. Diagnosis involves various imaging and analytical procedures, and antibacterial medications are prescribed when a bacterial cause is confirmed. Recurrent or autoimmune pericarditis may require long-term prophylactic treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs for severe cases.
Step-by-step explanation:
Treatment of Recurrent or Autoimmune Pericarditis
Pericarditis, the inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart, is often self-limiting, with clinical intervention not always necessary. Diagnosis typically involves tools like a chest radiograph, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and possibly the analysis of pericardial fluid or a pericardial biopsy. When pericarditis is caused by bacterial infections, such as those from Staphylococcus spp. or Streptococcus spp., antibacterial medications like penicillin may be prescribed. Autoimmune responses, which can lead to recurrent pericarditis, may occur after an immune response cross-reacts with a self-antigen following certain bacterial infections, a phenomenon seen with rheumatic fever stemming from Streptococcus pyogenes infections. In these cases, long-term prophylactic treatment with antibiotics like benzathine benzylpenicillin, as recommended by the American Heart Association, may be necessary to prevent recurrence. Anti-inflammatory drugs can also be used to manage severe cases of pericarditis.