‘Pericarditis does not get enough attention’: UVA cardiologist raises awareness about rare heart condition
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) -- A UVA Health cardiologist was recently featured alongside NHL Hall-of-Famer Henrik Lundqvist in a national campaign to raise awareness about a rare heart condition. UVA Health's Dr. Antonio Abbate called it a "Cinderella" in cardiovascular disease — meaning, health experts tend to overlook it compared to other heart conditions. Now, he's on a mission to change that public mindset. It's rare to feel relieved after being diagnosed with a heart condition, but Abbate said that the symptoms of pericarditis can feel so severe that they often lead people to believe they are experiencing a heart attack. "So, when people are told they don't have a heart attack, they're relieved, appropriately so, and we are relieved as doctors as well," Abbate said. The condition isn't heavily publicized in the health sphere. "Pericarditis does not get enough attention," Abbate said. It may look and feel like a heart attack, but pericarditis is the inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the heart. "It is not so deadly," Abbate clarified. "But it can have life-threatening complications." Symptoms include shortness of breath and sharp chest pain. Abbate explained that generally what is seen as the most common cause of pericarditis is a viral infection. He confirmed that doctors have seen an uptick in cases since the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical professionals don't know what exactly causes pericarditis in some people versus others. Despite appearing to be a perfect picture of health, NHL goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis. He and Abbate have both become prominent voices in the heart-related health landscape. "[Lundqvist] was definitely in great shape and taking good care of himself," Abbate confirmed. "But pericarditis can come after many different insults and can affect children, young adults, older adults and male and female at the same time." Procedures where the heart is irritated by a catheter -- or pacemaker -- can also trigger pericarditis. According to data from the National Library of Medicine, around 125,000 Americans are directly impacted by this condition. It's generally treated with an anti-inflammatory drug called "colchicine." However, in some cases, the condition can become recurring. "[This happens to] somewhere around 40,000 to 50,000 individuals in the United States," Abbate said. "There may be a little more than that." Again, most cases are independent and can be successfully treated with medicine, but when pericarditis becomes recurrent, experts said patients are essentially suffering from a chronic illness associated with fatigue, frequent pain, anxiety and even depression. That's part of why Abbate said raising awareness about the condition and making sure patients have a strong support system is so crucial.
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) -- A UVA Health cardiologist was recently featured alongside NHL Hall-of-Famer Henrik Lundqvist in a national campaign to raise awareness about a rare heart condition.
UVA Health's Dr. Antonio Abbate called it a "Cinderella" in cardiovascular disease — meaning, health experts tend to overlook it compared to other heart conditions. Now, he's on a mission to change that public mindset.
It's rare to feel relieved after being diagnosed with a heart condition, but Abbate said that the symptoms of pericarditis can feel so severe that they often lead people to believe they are experiencing a heart attack.
"So, when people are told they don't have a heart attack, they're relieved, appropriately so, and we are relieved as doctors as well," Abbate said.
The condition isn't heavily publicized in the health sphere.
"Pericarditis does not get enough attention," Abbate said.
It may look and feel like a heart attack, but pericarditis is the inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the heart.
"It is not so deadly," Abbate clarified. "But it can have life-threatening complications."
Symptoms include shortness of breath and sharp chest pain. Abbate explained that generally what is seen as the most common cause of pericarditis is a viral infection. He confirmed that doctors have seen an uptick in cases since the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical professionals don't know what exactly causes pericarditis in some people versus others.
Despite appearing to be a perfect picture of health, NHL goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis. He and Abbate have both become prominent voices in the heart-related health landscape.
"[Lundqvist] was definitely in great shape and taking good care of himself," Abbate confirmed. "But pericarditis can come after many different insults and can affect children, young adults, older adults and male and female at the same time."
Procedures where the heart is irritated by a catheter -- or pacemaker -- can also trigger pericarditis. According to data from the National Library of Medicine, around 125,000 Americans are directly impacted by this condition. It's generally treated with an anti-inflammatory drug called "colchicine." However, in some cases, the condition can become recurring.
"[This happens to] somewhere around 40,000 to 50,000 individuals in the United States," Abbate said. "There may be a little more than that."
Again, most cases are independent and can be successfully treated with medicine, but when pericarditis becomes recurrent, experts said patients are essentially suffering from a chronic illness associated with fatigue, frequent pain, anxiety and even depression. That's part of why Abbate said raising awareness about the condition and making sure patients have a strong support system is so crucial.
