Epiphenomenon

Evidence does not support pericardial disease as a prognostic marker in myocardial infarction or lupus. In hospitalised populations, pericardial disease often functions as a marker of underlying disease severity rather than an isolated disease process. The high full-cohort mortality is attributed primarily to the secondary-diagnosis subgroup, where pericardial involvement signals a more lethal underlying process. Pericardial disease may be the first clinical manifestation of previously undetected malignancy. Pericardial disease may precede formal diagnosis of systemic autoimmune disease by years.