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Pericarditis caused by aortic dissection?
by redrocker, Nov 14, 2007 10:09PM
I have an aneurysm of the aortic root measured by CT scan at 4.8 cm. Serial CT scans reveal that it has not changed in size for one year.
About 10 days ago, I experienced sudden upper left back pain (moderate) immediately after eating what seemed to be an undercooked chicken sandwich at a fast food restaurant, and following a week of bad eating and excessive alcohol consumption. The pain subsided within a few hours, but remained present for a couple of days. The pain then completely disappeared and the only remaining symptom I now have is labored breathing when lying down, especially on my left side, and a rubbing noise in the heart area. The symptoms seem to be slowly improving thankfully.
I visited my cardiologist and he seemed unconcerned, indicating that I had pericarditis/pleurisy of unknown cause. I asked him if it were possible that I had an aortic dissection that caused the pericarditis, and he said a dissection would present with severe symptoms, and that I shouldn't worry. My blood pressure was normal (in both arms), and my exam revealed no abnormal conditions. He has scheduled another CT scan for the AA early in 2008.
I have read on the web that some aortic dissections present with ambiguous or no symptoms, and can cause pericarditis. I went on a 2 mile hike today and felt great after the hike (actually felt better). Even despite the lack of indicators, is it still possible the pericarditis was casued by an aortic dissection? Also could the uncooked chicken sandwich have been the culprit, though I had no other symptoms indicative of food poisoning. Thank you.
About 10 days ago, I experienced sudden upper left back pain (moderate) immediately after eating what seemed to be an undercooked chicken sandwich at a fast food restaurant, and following a week of bad eating and excessive alcohol consumption. The pain subsided within a few hours, but remained present for a couple of days. The pain then completely disappeared and the only remaining symptom I now have is labored breathing when lying down, especially on my left side, and a rubbing noise in the heart area. The symptoms seem to be slowly improving thankfully.
I visited my cardiologist and he seemed unconcerned, indicating that I had pericarditis/pleurisy of unknown cause. I asked him if it were possible that I had an aortic dissection that caused the pericarditis, and he said a dissection would present with severe symptoms, and that I shouldn't worry. My blood pressure was normal (in both arms), and my exam revealed no abnormal conditions. He has scheduled another CT scan for the AA early in 2008.
I have read on the web that some aortic dissections present with ambiguous or no symptoms, and can cause pericarditis. I went on a 2 mile hike today and felt great after the hike (actually felt better). Even despite the lack of indicators, is it still possible the pericarditis was casued by an aortic dissection? Also could the uncooked chicken sandwich have been the culprit, though I had no other symptoms indicative of food poisoning. Thank you.
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