Elena's Condition

The central character of Sororophobia, Elena, has some sort of unspecificied heart condition that keeps her from doing strenuous or exciting activities. The condition may remain vague throughout the production, or may be crafted to help with character work by the director and actor.

For our production, we chose to leave it unspecified in order to focus more on how the condition affects her worldview, and less on the condition itself.

Listed here are two possible conditions that fit the symptoms described by Elena: arrhythmia, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and congestive heart failure. All of them deal with irregularities in how the heart functions, resulting in changes to how blood is pumped throughout the body.

Possibility #1: Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is a heart disorder in which the rate at which the heart beat is abnormal -- either too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia). While usually harmless, arrhythmia can begin to cause problems when it interferes with blood flow to the body. This can cause irreparable damage to the brain, lungs, heart, and other organs.

Common signs of arrhythmia include feeling as if your heart has skipped a beat, feeling a fluttering in the chest, having a rapid heartbeat, and having a slow or irregular heartbeat. Complications from arrhythmia include dizziness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and fatigue, among others.

For more information, please visit the Healthline webpage for arrhythmia, located here.

Image: Continental Hospitals

Possibillity #2: Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a long-term medical condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's circulatory needs. As a result, blood and fluids collect in the lungs and legs over time, since the heart cannot handle the amount of blood that it needs to.

Key symptoms of congestive heart failure include shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue while active, swelling in the ankles, legs, and abdomen, and a bloated or hard stomach (among other symptoms). Several complications can arise from this condition, including an irregular heartbeat, pulmonary hypertension, and damage to the kidney or liver.

For more information, please visit the Cleveland Clinic's webpage for congestive heart failure, which can be found here.

Image: Guy's and St Thomas' Specialist Care