lung collapse with constrictive pericarditis

My husband has constrictive pericarditis and we saw a surgeon today to discuss surgery. The surgeon was concerned about the right sided lung collapse and pleural effusion saying that he didnt think it was connected to the cp. Tests have rules out cancer. Also my husband has a very high platelet count and is being tested for leukemia which again they think is  unlikely. Does anyone have any information on either of these symptoms being connected to cp,
Thanks

[jam1112]

Have your husband checked for a condition called: Osler Weber-Rendu or HHT. It is a blood disorder. I have been going though the same problems with high blood platelet count. My white cell count is around 40,000. Mothers are the carrers of this disorder and pass it along to their sons. Sometimes it shows up early in life and to others it comes later. I am not saying this is the problem. But, would not hurt to have him checked for this disorder.

Good Luck,
                  James

[NoelleEmerson]

Sorry to disagree with James, but I do... Nothing there sounds like HHT... I am an HHT patient, as is the majority of my family (it is hereditary)... Hereditary Hemmorhagic Telangectasias...(yea spelling *****)... HHT is a VASCULAR problem, not a blood problem. The reason so many HHT patients end up in trouble or dead is that people treat it like a blood disorder. Mothers are not carriers, nor is anyone else... Either you have the gene (which is dominate) and thus have the disease or you cannot pass it on, because you have neither. White cell counts go up with HHT because of an infection, not because of the disease itself. Your H & H can drop because of it, if you are losing blood however. Here are the official diagnostic criteria from the HHT foundation:

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR HHT
1. 1. NOSEBLEEDS, spontaneous and recurrent.
2. 2. TELANGIECTASES, multiple, at characteristic sites including lips, oral cavity, fingers and nose.
3. 3. INTERNAL LESIONS such as
1. Gastrointestinal telangiectasia (with or without bleeding)
2. Pulmonary AVM
3. Hepatic AVM
4. Cerebral AVM
5. Spinal AVM
4. 4. FAMILY HISTORY- a first degree relative with HHT according to these criteria.
The HHT Diagnosis is:
- Definite if 3 criteria are present
- Possible or suspected if 2 criteria are present
- Unlikely if fewer than 2 criteria are present.

Hope it helps!