A case of seasonal recurrent myopericarditis

Abstract

Myopericarditis occurs in 15% of patients with pericarditis. Recurrent myopericarditis occurs in 15% to 30% of patients after partial or complete recovery from acute myopericarditis. Relapse often occurs within 1 month of an initial episode. The standard of care for pericarditis or myopericarditis is initial treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for 10 to 14 days. Colchicine is often administered for 3 to 6 months for residual chest pain due to myopericarditis. The authors present a case of seasonal recurrent myopericarditis in a 32-year-old man who presented with severe chest pain in nearly the same month for 4 consecutive years. The authors conducted an extensive review of the literature but found no other case reports of seasonal recurrent myopericarditis. If a patient presents with severe chest pain requiring hospitalization, physicians should consider prescribing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or colchicine before seasonal symptom recurrence. © 2014 American Osteopathic Association.