title: Could heart rate play a role in pericardial inflammation?
abstract: PURPOSE AND MEDICAL HYPOTHESIS: Rest is usually recommended in acute pericarditis, as it could help to lower heart rate (HR) and contribute to limit "mechanical inflammation". Whether HR on admission could be correlated and perhaps participate to inflammation has not been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2007 and February 2010, we conducted a retrospective study on all patients admitted to our center for acute pericarditis. Diagnosis criteria included two of the following ones: typical chest pain, friction rub, pericardial effusion on cardiac echography, or typical electrocardiogram (ECG) findings. Primary endpoint was biology: CRP on admission, on days 1, 2, 3, and especially peak.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 73 patients. Median age was 38 years (interquartiles 28-51) and median hospitalization duration was 2.0 days (1.5-3.0). Median heart rate was 88.0 beats per minute (bpm) on admission (interquartiles 76.0-100.0) and 72.0 on discharge (65.0-80.0). Heart rate on admission was significantly correlated with CRP peak (p<0.001), independently of temperature on admission, hospitalization duration and age. Recurrences occurred within 1 month in 32% of patients. Heart rate on hospital discharge was correlated with recurrence, independently of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In acute pericarditis, heart rate on admission is independently correlated with CRP levels and heart rate on discharge seems to be independently correlated to recurrence. This could suggest a link between heart rate and pericardial inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, University Hospital of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Ziad
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Khoueiry
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roubille
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagot
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lattuca
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Piot
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leclercq
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Delseny
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Busseuil
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gervasoni
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Davy
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pasquié
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cransac
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sportouch-Dukhan
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Macia
authors.forename: Thien-Tri
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Cung
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Massin
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cade
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Cristol
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barrère-Lemaire
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roubille
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D001241:Aspirin