Scores for Risk Stratification of Pericarditis

To review current available risk scores for pericarditis risk stratification.

Four recent published scores have provided new clinical tools for the evaluation of risk of recurrent pericarditis after a first episode or acute pericarditis (Athens score) or complicated pericarditis (Torino score), diagnosis of pericarditis (pericarditis INFLA-score) or clinical remission (Cleveland Clinic/ Klein score).

Recent scores for pericarditis diagnosis or risk stratification have been developed by tertiary referral centres with the aim of improving risk stratification and diagnosis and allowing an individualized approach for treatment and follow-up identifying the high-risk group of patients. While these scores are helpful in developing a more evidence-based approach for risk stratification of pericarditis, they have some limitations (single-centre, tertiary centres with referral bias, relatively limited sample size, new therapies not always included) and require further validation before clinical implementation in large unselected populations.