Question
I had a chest x-ray because of allergy symptoms. The doctor who read the x-ray said because of a cardiac fat pad in my right lobe, it was hard to tell if I had pneumonia. What is a fat pad, is this something that should concern me, and can I exercise?
Answer
A fat pad can be a normal occurrence on the sac (pericardium) that surrounds the heart. In certain cases in can obstruct the view of the right middle lobe. If there is enough clinical suspicion of a pneumonia (by symptoms or history), a CT scan can delineate the two easily.
The fat pad in itself should not be a limiting factor in exercise. As always, you should discuss any new significant change in exercise regimen with your primary care physician.