A clinical observation was done on 47 cases of pericarditis of various origins admitted to Daegu Fatima Hospital over a period of 6 years, from July 1967 to June 1973, and the following results were obtained.
1. The morbidity of these patients was approximately the same in both sexes and tHe peak age incidence was in the fourth and fifth decades.
2. The most frequent cause of pericarditis was tuberculosis (46.8%). Neoplastic (19.2%) and idiopathic (12.7%) were the next in frequency.
3. Cardinal symptoms in the order of frequency were dyspnea, cough, chest or epigastric pain and fever while common physical signs were hepatomegaly, pleural effusion, neck vein distension, increased cardiac dullness, peripheral edema, pericardial friction rub, distant heart sound, and ascites in the order of frequency.
4. Venous pressure was elevated in all cases determined. The gross finding of pericardial fluid was serosanguinous in above a half of the 23 cases aspirated and it was serosanguinous in all cases of neoplastic pericarditis.
5. Roentgenograms of the chest were typical of pericarditis in about 27% of the cases, whereas normal findings were present in about 15%.
6. The most common electrocardiographic findings on admission were low voltage of the QRS complex and T wave changes. Elevation of the ST segment was observed in only 2 cores of tuberculous pericarditis. The electrocardiograms were within normal limits in about 15%.
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