感染性心包炎通常是全身性疾病的一种表现。然而,心包炎的征象有时是感染存在的主要或唯一的临床线索,即使尸检时能在其它部位找到明显的感染证据时亦然。例如,某些结核性心包炎患者有渗出性、纤维素性或缩窄性心包炎,而胸部X线片未见肺部浸润,既无粟粒性结核,又无周围淋巴结结核的征象,但是尸检时常发现有纵隔淋巴结结核。在个别葡萄球菌或脑膜炎双球菌败血症患者,化脓性心包炎是感染的主要征象。在某些病毒性疾病患者,心包炎可以是疾病的 Infective pericarditis is usually a manifestation of systemic disease. However, signs of pericarditis are sometimes the primary or only clinical clue to the presence of infection, even when evidence of infection is found elsewhere in the autopsy. For example, some patients with tuberculous pericarditis have exudative, fibrinolytic or constrictive pericarditis, whereas chest radiographs show no pulmonary infiltrates, neither miliary tuberculosis nor tuberculous peripheral lymph nodes, but autopsy Mediastinal lymph node tuberculosis is often found. Septic pericarditis is a major sign of infection in individuals with individual staphylococcal or meningococcal septicemia. In some patients with viral diseases, pericarditis can be a disease