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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)
In a testimonial video, influencer Juju Fitcats revealed that she suffered from inflammation of part of her heart, which forced her to slow down. The opportunity to return to this pathology.
On February 8, a YouTube video did not go unnoticed in the sphere of French influencers. Juju Fitcatscreator of essentially sports content, made revelations there, “far from the image given on the networks” and announces that she suffered from pericarditis, an event that she had kept quiet all this time.
An inflammation of the pericardium keeps her away from her passion for several months
As the 29-year-old young woman indicates, she discovered her condition in January 2022 after experiencing chest pain. “Around your four ventricles of the heart, you have what is called the pericardium, a membrane that protects the ventricles, stuck to them.” However, during pericarditis, this pericardium fills with fluid “which creates pain” she explains.
A non-dramatic situation but which forced him to move away from his passion for 6 full months. “I had never had such a sudden and long-term cessation of sport, it was very complicated to manage”, she confides. Instead, the daily life of Juju Fitcats was filled “by trips back and forth to the hospital, between electrocardiogramsultrasounds, MRI, blood tests”. The sport returned little by little, under control, so as not to risk causing this inflammation to flare up again.
Pericarditis is benign, but it requires rest
Consulted on the subject, our medical director, Dr. Gérald Kierzek, confirms the benign but restrictive nature of pericarditis. “It is in fact an inflammation of the pericardium, the envelope which surrounds the heart which becomes loaded with fluid. Today we think it is viral and immunological. That is to say that a viral episode, such as an ENT infection, can trigger it.”
The main symptom is chest pain, which also changes with position depending on whether you are sitting, lying or standing. “VS“is what we call positional chest pain”, specifies our expert.
The treatment is taking aspirin and rest for several weeks or months.
Can we do sport again after pericarditis?
Although the 6-month episode must have seemed very long to the influencer, the break is nevertheless normal: Sport is a contraindication since it requires effort on the heart and an increase in heart rate. Until the pericardium is dried out, it should be left aside.
Rest assured, however, it is possible to resume physical activity after pericarditis, with a little patience. “This can only be considered after a control ultrasound to ensure that cardiac function is good and under medical control.”