[Constrictive pericarditis: the story of a constrained heart].

Background: Symptoms of constrictive pericarditis may be nonspecific, misleading and may delay or lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

Clinical Case: We present the case of a 28-year-old male who was admitted to the hospital with progressive dyspnea, thoracic pain and a history of 25 kg of weight gain during the last 2 years. He was evaluated at another facility and his clinical presentation led to an erroneous diagnosis of primary hepatic disease (cirrhosis and portal hypertension).