Bacow announces illness in school-wide e-mail

In a school-wide e-mail sent out yesterday morning, president Larry Bacow announced to the Tufts community that he will be taking some time off as he recovers from the cardiovascular virus pericarditis.

In his e-mail, Bacow described pericarditis as a virus that settles in the lining surrounding the heart, which results in irregular heartbeat and a heart that does not pump efficiently. Once the virus has been cleared out of the system, the heart cycle pattern returns to normal, he said in the e-mail.

Bacow, 52-years-old, was admitted into the Tufts-New England Medical Center (Tufts-NEMC) in Boston last week, where he was under the care of Dr. Deeb Salem, the physician-in-chief at the Medical Center. Salem would not comment on Bacow's condition.

There will not be any major changes while Bacow recuperates, administrators said. "There is not going to be any interim president while President Bacow is taking his break -- no one specific person will be standing in for him," Assistant to the President Elise Renoni said. "He needs to get his rest, and the other administrators will be helping him out with his schedules and his calendar."

According to Medford-based physician Dr. Rebecca Elliott it is not uncommon to see cases of pericarditis in individuals in his age group.

Elliott said the causes of pericarditis are usually unknown, but may occasionally be from a viral infection.

"Common symptoms of pericarditis include sharp chest pain, mild fever, weakness and fatigue," Elliott said. Elliott has only dealt with a handful of pericarditis cases throughout her career, but in her experience, "patients tend to recover within one week to ten days, with little complications."

When diagnosing pericarditis, blood tests, an electrogram and chest X-rays are the most frequently used methods, along with taking the patient's health into consideration, Elliott said.

Bacow emphasized in his e-mail that the doctors believe neither his heavy training for the Boston Marathon nor his hectic work schedule contributed to the onset of pericarditis. "If anything, my recovery is likely to be helped by the fact that I am in excellent shape as a result of marathon training," Bacow wrote.

Nevertheless, Bacow will not be participating in the Boston Marathon next month, as he has been advised to get plenty of rest as he recovers.

Both Renoni and Chief of Staff of the President's Office Judy Olson said that Bacow's e-mail should leave few questions for students.

Provost Jamshed Barucha and various deans and vice-presidents will be standing in for Bacow during his recovery.