Which of the following is a symptom of pericarditis?

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Pericarditis typically presents with chest pain that is sharp or piercing and felt in the center or left side of the chest. This pain is often pleuritic, meaning it can worsen with deep breaths, and its intensity and location can change with position. A key feature is that the discomfort commonly improves when you sit up and lean forward, rather than lying flat. That positional pattern helps distinguish it from other chest pains. Abdominal swelling isn’t a typical symptom of pericarditis, and fever can occur with infection but isn’t the defining chest-pain feature. Pain relief by lying flat would not fit the usual pattern, since lying flat often worsens pericarditis pain.