Acute pericarditis is most commonly associated with which condition?

Acute pericarditis is most commonly associated with renal failure. This condition can lead to the accumulation of waste products in the body, which may provoke inflammation, including in the pericardium (the fibrous sac surrounding the heart). The uremic toxins present in renal failure can cause pericardial irritation and inflammation, leading to the characteristic symptoms of acute pericarditis, such as chest pain and a pericardial friction rub.

In contrast, while heart failure, chronic lung disease, and hepatitis can have their own complications and associations, they are not the primary conditions linked with the development of acute pericarditis. Each of these conditions has distinct pathophysiological processes that generally do not lead to the inflammatory processes seen in pericarditis as commonly as renal failure does. Thus, the connection between renal failure and acute pericarditis highlights the importance of understanding the complications associated with renal impairment in clinical practice.