Pericardial Calcification

[SudsSuds]

I had a stent put in about a month ago. It seems to have helped, less tired and breathless. During the procedure I was told that I should have a CT scan as I may have pericardial calcification. Does anyone have experience of this condition or know much about it?

[CP_16]

Hi. I'm sorry to hear you've had these problems at a time, like myself, you want to get on and enjoy life. I do have personal experience of pericardial calcification. I understand that it doesn't always cause any noticeable problems, which may be the case for you so all I can do is share my own personal experience. My problems started in 2017 when I started experiencing shortness of breath when running or walking up hills. I also suffered with some mild oedema in my ankles and also fatigue and my inflammation markers were all over the place for a while. The doctors were scratching their heads and I was passed around a few different specialties including seeing a cardiologist in 2018 who didn't seem particularly concerned about an incidental finding of calcification in the pericardium following a CT scan and he discharged me to an infectious disease specialist who diagnosed me with a type of fatigue syndrome which he said would resolve itself over time and arranged to see me again in 2 years time. Then along came COVID and it was 3 years before I had my followup (with a different consultant this time). As there had been no real improvement in my symptoms and I still had some slight oedema in my ankles he arranged an echo cardiogram and referred me back to a different cardiologist who diagnosed constrictive pericarditis. This was in 2021. This condition is quite rare these days and very difficult to diagnose and eventually I had the diagnosis confirmed after several more tests and in my case a pericardiectomy was mentioned as the ultimate cure. I held off having the op for a couple of years by making changes in lifestyle and medication (furosemide) but was eventually called for the operation in December last year which went well and I'm now in recovery with no sign of oedema and have been able to stop taking any furosemide. Apologies for the long reply but I think that the calcification problem can often be ignored while a lot of other diagnoses are considered but in my case could have been considered much earlier in the process so in hindsight I would have asked for a second opinion after the 1st cardiologist chose to ignore it. It can also be a transient condition, and also asymptomatic, but if you are getting problems such as breathlessness and especially oedema, and not sure what the cause is then I believe it's one worth considering and keeping an eye on.

[SudsSuds in reply to CP_16]

Hi, thanks for your comprehensive answer and apologies for the delay in responding. I can see parallels in your symptoms to mine - shortness of breath, fatigue, ankle swelling. I have also had a stent fitted which helps. Additionally I have PMR - fatigue is a symptom. Right now I am waiting for a CT scan and will move on after I get a result and diagnosis. Thanks again.