It has been four harrowing days since the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of well-known TV personality Savannah Guthrie. Nancy, aged 84, was taken from her home in the dead of night, leaving her family and community in distress.

The urgent search continues as police hold onto hope of finding her alive. However, concern mounts with each passing hour due to Nancy’s fragile health. Her last known sighting was on Saturday night around 9:45 PM at her residence in the upscale Catalina Foothills area of Arizona.

Alarm bells rang when Nancy failed to appear at church the following Sunday. Her family, troubled by this unusual absence, discovered droplets of blood in the foyer of her million-dollar home, prompting them to report her missing.

Details of her medical condition are becoming increasingly crucial. Although authorities have withheld specific information, they acknowledge Nancy’s frailty and her difficulty in walking long distances.

Recent audio from the Pima County Sheriff’s Office sheds more light on her health issues, revealing that Nancy suffers from high blood pressure and heart-related problems.

As she requires daily medication to manage these conditions, Sheriff Chris Nanos emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “If she’s alive right now, her meds are vital. I can’t stress that enough.” The community and her family anxiously await any news, hoping for her safe return.

It is also known that she has a pacemaker synced to her Apple devices – and that it later disconnected, possibly because it went out of range.

Now, doctors told the Daily Mail the limited details released so far paint a worrying picture – and warned that without rapid intervention, her condition could deteriorate rapidly.

Nancy Guthrie’s hand and forearm appear to have extensive bruising. This led cardiologist Dr Ankur Kalra to conclude, exclusively to the Daily Mail, that she was likely taking blood thinners

Savannah Guthrie’s mother was reported missing more than three days ago. Authorities have previously warned she could be at risk without her medication

While there is no indication that her pacemaker has been deactivated, the fact that she has one gives insight into her health.

It suggests Nancy has a significant underlying heart rhythm condition that has required medical intervention.

A pacemaker malfunction can be life-threatening, potentially leading to collapse, loss of consciousness or fatal cardiac arrest.

Even with a functioning pacemaker, being without her essential medications poses a severe and escalating threat.

Combined with her mobility issues and known medical needs, doctors warn she is now in critical condition. Without immediate care, her life could be in danger within days.

Dr Elizabeth Klodas, a board-certified cardiologist based in Minnesota who has not seen Nancy as a patient, told Daily Mail: ‘The fact that Ms Guthrie has a pacemaker indicates she has heart disease.

‘However, a pacemaker, in and of itself, would not restrict her from leaving her house on her own.’

More likely, said Klodas, was that she also suffers cardiovascular disease caused by plaque building up inside the arteries – known as atherosclerosis – which can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

This buildup can affect different parts of the body. In the heart’s arteries, it can trigger chest pain (angina) and heart attacks.

In the arteries leading to the brain, it can increase the risk of stroke. And in the legs, it can restrict blood flow and cause pain while walking or mobility problems.

Coupled with other common issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes, these problems can quickly mount. Klodas adds: ‘Not taking the medications needed to control these risk factors could prove fatal in 24 hours.’

Pacemakers are relatively common, particularly in over-65s – around three million Americans have one. Newer devices can transmit data wirelessly.

Patients are typically given a small bedside monitor that communicates with the pacemaker overnight, collecting information such as battery levels and heart rhythm logs.

It then sends this data via Wi-Fi or a cellular connection to a secure system that doctors can access remotely.

When it comes to the vital medication Nancy could be on, Dr Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist based in California who has also not treated Guthrie, told the Daily Mail: ‘The most likely medication that she’s taking would be anticoagulants or antiarrhythmic medication.

‘She might also be taking medication for heart failure.’

If she went on to suffer a stroke as a result of lacking her daily medication, it could be severe or even fatal – especially if treatment is delayed beyond 30 minutes.

The event could disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement, potentially causing paralysis or profound weakness on one side of the body.

Simultaneously, it could cloud the person’s mind, affecting speech, memory and the capacity to make decisions or understand a situation, rendering them unable to call for help or assist in their own rescue.

While the specific medications are unknown, authorities have stated that going without them could be ‘life-threatening.’ The presence of a pacemaker also confirms that she has a heart arrhythmia, a condition where the heart beats irregularly, either too slowly, too quickly or erratically

Dr Elizabeth Klodas, a board-certified cardiologist, told the Daily Mail that losing access to blood pressure medication can be catastrophic for someone with severe hypertension. It’s also likely Guthrie was on cholesterol-lowering drugs for her atherosclerosis risk

In a photo taken with her daughter, Nancy appeared to have extensive bruising on her hand and forearm.

Dr Ankur Kalra, a cardiologist at SUNY Upstate Medical University, told Daily Mail that this suggests Guthrie takes anticoagulants.

Commonly known as blood thinners, anticoagulants reduce the blood’s ability to clot -helping prevent dangerous clots that can trigger strokes and other life-threatening events.

Klodas, also the co-founder of Step One Foods, said: ‘Losing access to blood pressure-lowering medications – especially if multiple drugs are required to keep blood pressure in check – can be catastrophic.’

As the investigation continues, Savannah took to social media to ask people to ‘please pray’ for her mother.

She wrote: ‘We believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness. we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him.’

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