A 39-year-old man has received a new lease of life after he was diagnosed with a rare disease called Viral Carditis which resulted in his heart swelling up.

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A viral infection of the heart, the condition is also known as Post-Viral Dilated Cardiomyotherapy. It is a rare health condition and in some cases, can prove to be fatal. The condition had caused his ejection fraction, which is the amount of blood that the heart pumps out, to drop from the normal 55 to 65 per cent to a low 17 per cent and was only two per cent away from requiring a heart transplant. It had also caused his valves to become weak and his heart had increased in size along with the presence of fluids around the organ.

"When he first came to me his ejection fraction was 17 per cent and this is usually not correctable and had it went below 15 per cent then the only treatment possible was a heart transplant. I prescribed him a combination of medication, which is used especially in the United States and Europe and when he came for a follow-up after almost two months, his ejection fraction had increased to 55 per cent. There was no fluid around his heart," said Dr Rohan Sequiera, Consultant General Medicine at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre.

The combination of medication consisted of Coenzyme q 10, L Carnitine and Omega 3 fatty acids, which were given in addition to other medicines. Since these are natural supplements they have minimal side-effects and help in improving the quality of heart muscle.

"I first started facing problems in the first week of February when I couldn't walk properly and was feeling breathless. I could not go around much and was mostly on bed. After consulting other doctors when I came to Dr Rohan, his medication along with a change in diet helped me get a lot better and now I can walk up to some distance and can even ride a bike for some distance," said the patient, who didn't want his identity to be disclosed.

The doctor said that the medication acted as a support therapy.

SCARY SITUATION

  • The man had Viral Carditis which resulted in his heart swelling up    
  • A viral infection of the heart, the condition is also known as Post-Viral Dilated Cardiomyotherapy   
  • The condition had caused his ejection fraction, to drop from the normal 55 to 65% to 17%