Peri WHO?

It is still Heart Health Month in America, so I will take advantage of some political news to discuss a heart condition that has not yet been discussed in my blog . That should be a clue that I am not going to talk about Clinton or Chaney. As they both have heart disease conditions that are often related to genetics, environment and lifestyle.
The politician I am referring to today, is Umaru Yar’Adua, the president of Nigeria, who has not been presiding, if you will, due to being hospitalized for treatment of his pericarditis.

This is a condition that involves the protective sac that surrounds the heart. This area is called the pericardium. In medical terms, the ending of words often indicates the type of disease process. Like alga (pain) and osis (increase in) and itis (inflammation). So a person who has pericarditis has inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart. The redness and swelling occurs because of rubbing in the pericardium.

There are a few diseases that cause the pericardial inflammation, so that pericarditis is usually a symptom of another illness. Doctor's will of course treat the inflammation, which is usually painful and the person may feel a sharp pain when breathing or less often, like pressure on the chest. Lying down makes it worse. Medications are used and tests are run to make a diagnosis. Other symptoms include swelling in the lower limbs, coughing, being tired and having a fever. This condition may be diagnosed as a heart attack and vice versa. After comforting the patient, the goal is to cure or treat the underlying problem. The cause of pericarditis is not always discovered, however.

Ironically, today was another day for observing differences. In America, one of the most popular or most interviewed medical experts is Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon who is also a reporter for CNN. Oh, you might recognize the name as he was once considered for nomination to US Surgeon General - which he declined. Anyways - I heard the story about Nigeria's ill president on the BBC World News, and they had their own doctor to interview.

He did say that kidney disease could be a cause as could infection, such as TB or tuberculosis. Oh there is another ONE, osis - meaning an increase in something or even an invasion of something, like a parasite. The British physician also noted systemic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and recent heart attack as possible triggers for this condition. Pericarditis is considered a chronic condition if it lasts more than six months. It can also become more serious if it leads to excess fluid in the pericardium as this pressure on the heart can make surgery necessary.

At last word, the cause of the Nigerian President's case was unknown.

This is a condition that does not appear related to eating too much or exercising too little, or even smoking! However, if a person with this condition is overweight, inactive or smokes, I bet that would be addressed in treatment!