CardioRef: AHA/ACC 2015 Sports Participation Selector Guide: Pericarditis

By the ACC/AHA 2015 guidelines, should my patient with participate in organized sports?

Should my patient with pericarditis participate in competitive sports?

Need to know:

Evidence of active disease (e.g. effusion, inflammatory markers)
Any evidence of myocarditis
Any evidence of constriction

Not Recommended

"Athletes with pericarditis, regardless of its pathogenesis, should not participate in competitive sports during the acute phase.

Such athletes can return to full activity when there is complete absence of evidence for active disease, including effusion by echocardiography, and when serum markers of inflammation have normalized.

For pericarditis associated with evidence of myocardial involvement, eligibility should also be based on the course of myocarditis.

Chronic pericardial disease that results in constriction disqualifies the person from all competitive sports."

Competitive Sports = Inadvisable

(Class III Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Reference: Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities. A Scientific Statement From the AHA and ACC. Circulation 2015

Disclaimer: This website is derived from published guidelines, but does not constitute medical advice nor does it replace clinical judgement. Only the text in quotation marks are direct quotations from the original guidelines. Text not in quotations as well as the method of information display are all that of the website creator and are not part of the original published guidelines. Please consult a physician to discuss any patient-specific matters.