Are Pericarditis And Bornholm Disease Related?

Is there a relation between pericarditis and Bornholm disease?

Bornholm disease is a temporary illness that is a result of virus infection. The disease features fever and intense abdominal and chest pains with headache. The chest pain is typically worsened by breathing or coughing. The illness usually lasts from 3 to 14 days. The most common virus causing Bornholm disease is an enterovirus called Coxsackie B. Bornholm disease is also called epidemic myalgia and pleurodynia (because of inflammation of the lining tissue of the lungs).

Pericarditis is inflammation of the lining tissue around the heart. Pericarditis can also be caused by viruses, including Coxsackie B.

It is certainly possible that a person with Bornholm disease could also have pericarditis.

Medical Author: Carolyn Janet Crandall, M.D.
Medical Editor: William Shiel, MD, FACP, FACR