Reported Reactions

Adverse event reports that FDA received

  • Search
  • Watch list

Pericardial effusion adverse event reports that record this term

Kind of term
MedDRA preferred term
Plain meaning
fluid around the heart

What a report is

A report is not proof that the drug was the cause of the event.

FDA says:

Adverse event reports submitted to FDA do not undergo extensive validation or verification. Therefore, a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report. While a suspected relationship may exist, it is not medically validated and should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision making or other assumptions about the safety or efficacy of a product. Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview, section "Responsible use of the data". The site read the page on . The data have the reports that FDA received through .

FDA also says:

There is no certainty that the reported event (adverse event or medication error) was actually due to the product. FDA does not require that a causal relationship between a product and event be proven, and reports do not always contain enough detail to properly evaluate an event. The information in these reports has not been scientifically or otherwise verified as to a cause and effect relationship and cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.

Source: openFDA, Response of the drug event API (meta.disclaimer). The site read the page on .

Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.

Reports on file

From January 2004 to June 2026, FDA received 22,645 adverse event reports that record the MedDRA preferred term Pericardial effusion. In plain words, the term means: fluid around the heart. The person who codes a report selects the term that agrees best with the description of the reporter.

FDA received 1,533 reports in the 12 months to June 2026 and 1,390 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data every quarter, so the newest months are not complete. They grow in later releases.

By reports in the 12 months to June 2026, this term was number 441 of 1,436 reaction terms with a page. Of the 1,332,454 drug reports that FDA received in the 12 months to June 2026, 1,533 (0.1%) record this term. Reports for patients aged 45 to 64 were 26.2% of the reports that record this term and 20% of all drug reports.

The number of people who use the product is not in the data. A count is not a rate.

MedDRA

The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities. The person who codes a report selects the preferred term that agrees best with the description of the reporter. FDA does not publish the description.

Plain meaning

Fluid around the heart. The words are from the fixed dictionary of this site. They add nothing to a report.

Data version

openFDA FAERS release of 29 Oct 2026. Reports received through 30 Jun 2026.

Drugs in these reports

The table has the 86 drug pages with 100 or more reports that record this term. The rows are in order of name. A drug page with fewer reports for this term is not in the table. The counts are the counts that the site keeps for each reaction term, and a count can be lower than the count of FDA.

FDA says:

Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

Importantly, the AEMS data by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

Drugs that the reports with the term Pericardial effusion name as a suspect product, in order of name
DrugClassReports with this term
AdempasSoluble guanylate cyclase stimulator123
Advair HfaCorticosteroid120
AfinitorKinase inhibitor140
AmbrisentanEndothelin receptor antagonist315
AmlodipineCalcium channel blocker121
ApixabanFactor Xa inhibitor141
AspirinNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug271
Avandia240
AvastinVascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor111
BevacizumabVascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor131
BusulfanAlkylating drug103
CapecitabineNucleoside metabolic inhibitor140
CarboplatinPlatinum-based drug356
CisplatinPlatinum-based drug156
ClopidogrelP2Y12 platelet inhibitor107
ClozapineAtypical antipsychotic295
ClozarilAtypical antipsychotic185
CyclophosphamideAlkylating drug554
CyclosporineCalcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant177
CytarabineNucleoside metabolic inhibitor250
DasatinibKinase inhibitor178
DexamethasoneCorticosteroid272
Dianeal Low Calcium Peritoneal Dialysis Solution with Dextrose150
DigoxinCardiac glycoside129
DocetaxelMicrotubule inhibitor179
DoxorubicinAnthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor160
Doxorubicin hydrochlorideAnthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor136
DupixentInterleukin-4 receptor alpha antagonist101
EliquisFactor Xa inhibitor163
EnbrelTumor necrosis factor blocker228
EntrestoAngiotensin 2 receptor blocker317
EsomeprazoleProton pump inhibitor104
EtoposideTopoisomerase inhibitor233
FludarabineNucleoside metabolic inhibitor125
FluorouracilNucleoside metabolic inhibitor116
FurosemideLoop diuretic137
GemcitabineNucleoside metabolic inhibitor151
GleevecKinase inhibitor133
HerceptinHER2/neu receptor antagonist166
HumalogInsulin analog153
Humira470
Ibrutinib (form s4)Kinase inhibitor118
ImatinibKinase inhibitor137
ImbruvicaKinase inhibitor370
KeytrudaProgrammed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody229
LantusInsulin analog155
LetairisEndothelin receptor antagonist107
LetrozoleAromatase inhibitor123
LipitorHMG-CoA reductase inhibitor126
LosartanAngiotensin 2 receptor blocker136
MelphalanAlkylating drug105
MethotrexateFolate analog metabolic inhibitor449
MethylprednisoloneCorticosteroid126
MinoxidilArteriolar vasodilator120
Mycophenolate mofetilAntimetabolite immunosuppressant262
NivolumabProgrammed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody276
OpdivoProgrammed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody189
OpsumitEndothelin receptor antagonist365
OrenitramProstacycline vasodilator107
PaclitaxelMicrotubule inhibitor223
PembrolizumabProgrammed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody152
PemetrexedFolate analog metabolic inhibitor121
PradaxaDirect thrombin inhibitor304
PrednisoloneCorticosteroid190
PrednisoneCorticosteroid406
RemicadeTumor necrosis factor blocker196
RemodulinProstacycline vasodilator365
RevlimidThalidomide analog278
RituximabCD20-directed cytolytic antibody266
Rosuvastatin calciumHMG-CoA reductase inhibitor104
SolirisComplement inhibitor100
Sotatercept104
SprycelKinase inhibitor313
SutentKinase inhibitor131
TacrolimusCalcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant327
TasignaKinase inhibitor159
TracleerEndothelin receptor antagonist237
TrastuzumabHER2/neu receptor antagonist151
TyvasoProstacycline vasodilator130
UptraviProstacyclin receptor agonist203
ValsartanAngiotensin 2 receptor blocker161
VeletriProstacycline vasodilator114
Vincristine161
Winrevair131
XareltoFactor Xa inhibitor329
Zometa124

The page of each drug has the count of each reaction term in its reaction lookup.

Drug classes in these reports

The table has the 54 pharmacologic classes with 100 or more reports that record this term. The rows are in order of name.

FDA says:

Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

Importantly, the AEMS data by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

Pharmacologic classes of the drugs that the reports with the term Pericardial effusion name, in order of name
ClassReports with this term
Alkylating drug951
Aminosalicylate111
Angiotensin 2 receptor blocker704
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor145
Anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor349
Anti-epileptic agent196
Antimetabolite immunosuppressant355
Aromatase inhibitor194
Arteriolar vasodilator169
Atypical antipsychotic804
Azole antifungal147
beta-Adrenergic blocker175
beta2-Adrenergic agonist129
Bisphosphonate112
Calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant638
Calcium channel blocker129
Cardiac glycoside129
CD20-directed cytolytic antibody343
Complement inhibitor116
Corticosteroid1,359
CTLA-4-directed blocking antibody173
Direct thrombin inhibitor323
Endothelin receptor antagonist1,125
Factor Xa inhibitor705
Folate analog metabolic inhibitor703
HER2/neu receptor antagonist402
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor434
Insulin165
Insulin analog380
Integrin receptor antagonist119
Interferon beta100
Interleukin-4 receptor alpha antagonist114
Janus kinase inhibitor210
Kinase inhibitor3,373
Loop diuretic224
Microtubule inhibitor462
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug483
Nucleoside metabolic inhibitor1,134
P2Y12 platelet inhibitor255
Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor244
Platinum-based drug589
Programmed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody976
Prostacyclin receptor agonist244
Prostacycline vasodilator832
Proteasome inhibitor158
Proton pump inhibitor480
Serotonin reuptake inhibitor143
Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator138
Thalidomide analog387
Topoisomerase inhibitor270
Tumor necrosis factor blocker681
Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor256
Vinca alkaloid127
Vitamin K antagonist123

A class with many reports in all has many reports for almost every term.

Reports by month

Reports that record Pericardial effusion, by month, five years to June 2026
010020020222023202420252026

FDA releases FAERS data every quarter, so the newest months are not complete. They grow in later releases.

Patients in these reports

Age of the patient in the reports that record Pericardial effusion
AgeReportsShareShare as a bar
Under 21860.8%
2 to 114351.9%
12 to 173921.7%
18 to 442,86712.7%
45 to 645,92326.2%
65 to 743,60815.9%
75 and over2,61811.6%
Age not given6,61629.2%
Sex of the patient in the reports that record Pericardial effusion
SexReportsShareShare as a bar
Female11,65151.5%
Male9,01039.8%
Unknown or not given1,9848.8%

Age and sex are as the report gives them. 50.1% of these reports give the United States as the country.

Terms near this one

Official pages

The site checked these addresses on . The links open in a new tab.

Cite this page

Embed this card on your site

Copy this code into your page. The card shows the figures above with their source. A line under the card links to this page.

How embedding works. It is free. Keep the link in the card and the link line under it.

Reported Reactions. Pericardial effusion: adverse event reports that record this term. https://reportedreactions.com/reaction/pericardial-effusion/ Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) files, release of . Reports received through .

Where the data come from

The counts come from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk files, release of 29 Oct 2026. The files have the reports that FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. A drug name is the name on the report. The site matches it to a brand name or a generic name of the National Drug Code Directory of 2 Nov 2026. A class is the pharmacologic class (EPC) of the FDA label.

The count has the reports with each spelling of one MedDRA preferred term. The site does not publish a report narrative, a lot number, a detail of a patient or the identity of a reporter. The record of FDA is the authority. See how the site counts reports, the data sources and the corrections page.

Questions

What does Pericardial effusion mean in an adverse event report?

In plain words: fluid around the heart. It is a MedDRA preferred term. FDA codes the description of a reporter with the MedDRA dictionary. The openFDA files do not have the description itself, and this site does not show it.

Does a drug in the table mean that the drug was responsible for this reaction?

No. FDA says:

No individual drug is connected to any individual reaction.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

When a report lists multiple drugs and multiple reactions, there is no way to conclude from the data therein that a given drug is responsible for a given reaction.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

What does this page tell a person who has this symptom?

This page gives counts of reports. It cannot assess a person. A pharmacist or a clinician can assess a person.

If this is a medical emergency, please call 911.

Source: FDA, MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form. The site read the page on .