The pericardium is a thin membrane that surrounds the heart like a sac. It provides lubrication for the heart, contains it within the chest cavity, and shields it from infection and other types of harm.
Pericarditis is a condition in which that membrane becomes inflamed (in medicine “itis” means “inflamed”). When this happens, the irritated layers of the pericardium rub against each other and can cause a lot of pain.
An episode of pericarditis is often called a Flare.
Two types of pericarditis may include a one-time episode or recurrent pericarditis.
The first episode of pericarditis is often a single flare that goes away completely on its own or after treatment.
Average duration: 4 to 6 weeks.
Just like it sounds, recurrent pericarditis is when a pericarditis flare happens again at least 4 to 6 weeks after the first one, and can happen repeatedly.
Average disease duration: about 3 years for people who have 2 flares or more.
About one-third of people with pericarditis develop recurrent pericarditis, totally roughly 40,000 people in the United States.
Recurrent pericarditis is an autoinflammatory disease, which means flares are caused by the body’s immune system attacking the pericardium, not by an external factor like a virus or injury. Each attack creates damage that causes more immune system response in an ongoing cycle.
Cells in the pericardium become inflamed, causing a flare.
Inflamed cells release a protein called interleukin-1 (IL-1).
IL-1 signals the immune system to send immune cells to the pericardium.
Immune cells cause damage and inflammation.
Commonly prescribed pericarditis therapies—such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), colchicine, and steroids—do not block IL-1, and people with recurrent pericarditis who are treated with these medications may still suffer from flares.
To both relieve and prevent recurrent pericarditis flares, you may need to do more than treat the symptoms. You may need to break the cycle.
After you have been diagnosed, your doctor will prescribe a treatment or treatments to help with your symptoms.
Until recently, there were no medications approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat recurrent pericarditis, so doctors often prescribe medications for “off-label” use—meaning medications that have not been FDA approved for recurrent pericarditis.
*These medications are not FDA approved to treat recurrent pericarditis.
ARCALYST is the first and only FDA-approved therapy to treat recurrent pericarditis and reduce the risk of future flares in people 12 years and older. ARCALYST breaks the continuous cycle of autoinflammation and helps stop the flares from coming back.
If you experience another flare after you have a first one, ask your healthcare provider about ARCALYST.
For more information about ARCALYST, speak with your doctor and see the full Prescribing Information.
ARCALYST® (rilonacept) is an interleukin-1 blocker indicated for:
