What condition describes severe chest pain that radiates to the back and worsens with respiratory movement?

Acute pericarditis is characterized by severe chest pain that often radiates to the back and can worsen with respiratory movements, such as deep breathing or coughing. This pain is usually sharp in nature and can be alleviated by sitting forward, which helps to relieve the pressure on the inflamed pericardial layers. The inflammation of the pericardium, which is the fibrous sac surrounding the heart, causes irritation that manifests as significant discomfort, particularly with movements that put strain on the chest.

In contrast, pericardial effusion generally presents with symptoms related to fluid accumulation, such as shortness of breath or a feeling of fullness rather than acute sharp pain. Myocardial infarction presents with chest pain typically described as crushing or pressure-like, and though it can radiate to various areas, it is not usually exacerbated by respiratory movement in the same way acute pericarditis is. Restrictive pericarditis leads to symptoms associated with heart failure and does not typically cause sharp chest pain with movement, focusing instead on the hemodynamic consequences of a stiff pericardium that restricts heart filling. Therefore, the defining characteristic of acute pericarditis aligns closely with the symptomatology outlined