How long will the inflammation last?

With pericarditis:

• an acute episode can last anything from 1 to 6 weeks

• some pericarditis cases last longer than that, but shorter than 3 months, before treatment is effective – you might hear it called incessant pericarditis

• if you have symptoms for more than 3 months, it’s called chronic pericarditis

• if your symptoms come and go, the condition can last for many years - this recurrent pericarditis affects about 15% to 30% of people

With myocarditis:

• a short term episode and recovery usually takes 3 to 6 months, but each case is different 

• myocarditis can come back, sometimes for a long time, in about 10% to 15% of cases