What physical examination finding would you expect with a patient suffering from pericarditis?

In the case of a patient suffering from pericarditis, the physical examination finding of a pericardial friction rub is the hallmark sign you would expect to observe. This sound is produced when the inflamed pericardial layers of the heart rub against each other during cardiac activity, especially during heartbeats. The friction rub can often be heard best with the stethoscope placed at the left sternal border and may change in intensity with the patient's position or during respiration.

The presence of a pericardial friction rub helps differentiate pericarditis from other conditions and is crucial for a correct diagnosis. This finding is typically described as a high-pitched, scratchy sound that occurs in both systole and diastole and adds to the clinical picture of pericarditis, which may also include symptoms such as chest pain that worsens with deep breathing or lying flat.

Other options, such as wheezing, rales, or abdominal tenderness, do not specifically correlate with pericarditis and are associated with different pathologies affecting the respiratory system or the abdomen.