Medical Services

Constrictive Pericarditis: A Restrictive Heart Condition

The protective sac around the heart gets thicker, scars form, and becomes less flexible over time. This is what causes the long-term disease called constrictive pericarditis. This condition limits the heart's capacity for appropriate expansion, therefore affecting blood flow and cardiac function.
Factors of Cause and Risk:
The disorder might happen after repeated pericarditis, infections (tuberculosis, viral, or bacterial), heart surgery, radiation therapy, autoimmune diseases, or long-term kidney disease. Occasionally the source is still unknown—idiopathic.
Signs: Weakness and tiredness.
Shortness of breath, particularly after effort; swelling in the legs and abdomen from fluid retention; low blood pressure; and dizziness
Difficulty breathing while lying down
Echocardiography, cardiac MRIs, CT scans, and catheterisation to evaluate heart function and pericardial thickness help identify constrictive pericarditis. In mild cases, diuretics can help by reducing the buildup of fluid; however, pericardiectomy, a surgery to remove the swollen pericardium and restore normal heart function, is the only way to be sure of a full recovery.
Forecast and Preventive Measures:
Early discovery is absolutely vital to avoid heart failure. Routine cardiac checks, controlling infections, and avoiding recurring pericarditis can help lower constrictive pericarditis risk.