Wales rugby star diagnosed with ‘really scary’ heart condition

The 23-year-old described his shock at finding out about the illness.

Wales and Bath rugby star Archie Griffin has revealed he has been diagnosed with a heart condition that "came out of nowhere".

The 23-year-old had just recently been named in the Wales squad for the upcoming Autumn Nations Series, but last played for his club on 20 September when he was taken ill.

After an appointment with medical experts, the Australian-born prop was diagnosed with pericarditis.

Pericarditis is inflammation of the lining around the heart. The most common symptom of pericarditis is chest pain or discomfort.

Although pericarditis can be long-lasting, most people recover within weeks.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Griffin said: "I played in the Northampton game off the bench and had pericarditis during the game.

"At the time, I obviously didn't know what it was. After the game, I had lots of check-ups and found out what had happened. I had to take lots of medication. I had two weeks off exercise, apart from walking my dog, before slowly getting back into full training."

He continued: "It did come out of nowhere. It was really scary, actually. I woke up on the Monday and it felt like someone was stood on my chest it was that tight.

"It didn't impact my fitness, my breathing, or how hard I was able to run in the game. It just felt like a massive pain in my chest.

"I gritted my teeth to get through it. I knew I was in safe hands. I've been working with the physios and seen heart professionals, so I've been looked after very well. I just had to cross everything that could have been more serious heart wise off the list."