Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium with occasional pericardial effusion. about 90% of the causes are unknown. Most people will have viral type symptoms such as fever, myalgias, and malaise. Pericarditis can also cause cute, sharp, stabbing chest pain that can last hours to days. Some people will also get shortness of breath and pain with breathing.I am assuming you had a pretty extensive work up before being diagnosed with pericarditis. The work up should ve included blood work with inflammatory markers and cardiac markers, as well as EKG changes. The first line treatment is usually ibuprofen several times daily for about two weeks. There are other anti-inflammatories that work just as good if you cannot tolerate ibuprofen. Steroids are actually a second line treatment but work just as good as ibuprofen. Generally, about 7 to 10 days of ibuprofen can significantly decrease your symptoms and pericarditis. You should also get plenty of rest. some people have will have recurrent pericarditis. You should also have an ultrasound of your heart to make sure there is no fluid around the heart. If you do not get better with ibuprofen in 10 days, I would recommend having a further work up to make sure you do not have my own pericarditis which involves the heart muscle.