Political health

Published in The Post-Star (A1)

4/9/06

Politics often involves headaches, but Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, has had more than his fair share lately.

Sweeney was hospitalized three times in the last two months for problems including migraines, life-threatening spikes in blood pressure, exhaustion and neck pain. After a March 13 angiogram at Albany Medical Center, his doctors delivered a somewhat baffling diagnosis: vasculitis.

Vasculitis is a general term for more than 20 types of autoimmune disorders that inflame blood vessels in various organ systems, said Dr. David Hellmann, who treated Sweeney last month at the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center in Baltimore.

It's hard to pinpoint the cause of most vasculitis cases, Hellmann said. The symptoms may indicate a serious underlying illness, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or they could flare up on their own.

Although Hellmann could not specifically discuss Sweeney's case, he explained the disease in general.

"Everyone has an immune system that's supposed to protect you from 'thug' germs. Autoimmune diseases like vasculitis can be thought of as the biological equivalent of police brutality," Hellmann said. "The 'cop' cells that are supposed to be protecting you are instead beating up on the 'citizens' of your body -- in the case of vasculitis, they're attacking the blood vessels."

One of the most rare and serious forms of the disease is central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis, which attacks the blood vessels in the brain. Until the invention of diagnostic imaging tools a few decades ago, this type of vasculitis was nearly always fatal.

Patients with this diagnosis are typically treated with prednisone, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and calcium channel blockers that reduce the risk of blood vessel spasms.

Sweeney is currently taking prednisone, according to his spokeswoman, Melissa Carlson. He has also been on medication for high blood pressure for several years.

Side effects of prednisone can include high blood pressure, weight gain, acne, growth of body hair, easy bruising, mood swings, insomnia, glucose intolerance, and bone thinning, depending on the dosage and length of treatment.

While these side effects aren't pleasant, Hellmann said they are "usually manageable." Most vasculitis patients make a full recovery with the proper treatment, although the disease can recur.

"The outlook has dramatically improved over the last few years, and death from vasculitis is now very infrequent," Hellmann said.

'Feeling strong'

Sweeney's health problems could be compounded by the stress of a job on Capitol Hill, a son who recently pleaded guilty to assault charges and a re-election campaign that's shaping up to be a real fight.

Carlson said her boss is up to the challenge.

"Right now, he's continuing to be treated and undergo tests, but he's feeling strong and going back to work. He looks forward to recovering and facing any challenges -- personal, political, and professional -- that come his way, as he's always done," she said.

Kirsten Gillibrand, Sweeney's expected Democratic challenger, sent a card to the congressman when he was first hospitalized in February.

Her campaign manager, Bill Hyers, refused to comment on how Sweeney's health problems could affect the congressional race.

"You don't play politics with health issues," Hyers said. "We just wish him a speedy recovery."
That's a wise move, said Alan Chartock, president of WAMC public radio and executive publisher of The Legislative Gazette.

"It's not a good idea to kick somebody when they're down," Chartock said. "I think Gillibrand runs a big risk of being perceived as underhanded if she gets too nasty with him."

Chartock said he is a longtime friend of Sweeney's, and though they don't always agree, he admires the congressman for being "a straight talker who doesn't play games."

In some ways, Sweeney's political health has never been better, Chartock reflected, but that's merely a silver lining in a very real cloud.

"I've noticed a diminution of anti-Sweeney rhetoric in the press since this began," he said. "But when your body doesn't operate the way you need it to, it certainly isn't worth any political benefit."

Chartock said he fully expects the congressman to stay in the race, "but you never know."
Sweeney will have to decide fairly soon. According to election law, the deadline for a candidate to decline or accept a party nomination is July 17. Parties have until July 21 to fill vacancies.

After that, the names on the general election ballot are unlikely to change, said Lee Daghlian, spokesperson for the State Board of Elections.

"The only way you can get off the ballot after the deadline is if you move out of the district, are appointed to a judicial post, get a court order or die," he said.

State senator Betty Little, R-Queensbury, said she saw Sweeney last Monday and thought he looked good.

"I believe he's going to be running again," she said. "There's no speculation here."

Carlson said that although the congressman believes the public has a right to know when his illness affects his job performance -- for example, if hospitalization causes him to miss a vote -- he would like to keep the details of his condition private for now.

"If there's ever a situation where he can't do his job, he'll let the public know," she said.

WHAT IT IS
Vasculitis, also called angiitis or arteritis, is a general term for more than 20 types of immune system disorders that inflame blood vessels, often causing tissue or organ damage if left untreated. It affects about 3 percent of Americans, and is the cause of at least 100,000 hospitalizations each year. More information is available at http://vasculitis.med.jhu.edu