A particular heart condition linked to the new coronavirus is a growing concern for university athletes.
Dr Colleen Kraft, a fellow with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, who on Thursday held a press release with NCAA hosts on COVID-19 and college athletics, said she was very concerned about myocarditis, a coronavirus-linked condition. which causes heartbeat.
“I think we’re playing with fire,” warned Kraft, who is also a member of the NCAA’s COVID-19 advisory panel. I think one case of myocarditis in an athlete is too much. “
Myocarditis is a relatively uncommon but known complication of certain viral infections and has been seen in some athletes after having an acute exposure to COVID-19, Dr. Aaron Glatt, an epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in New York and an infectious disease association of the IDSA, told Fox News.
CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS LIVES OF FATHER AND SON IN FLORIDA, BOTH DOCTORS
The health experts give the caution that even if an athlete recovers from COVID-19, there is still potential to develop long-term health effects. Recent studies have revealed several cases of myocarditis in people who were no longer symptomatic and previously tested positive for COVID-19.
On Thursday, the NCAA called off events for fall championships because not enough schools will compete in sports such as men’s and women’s soccer and women’s soccer in the first semester. The cancellation does not affect major college football.
Big East Conference postpones bankruptcy season, joining Pac-12 and Big Ten
NCAA President Mark Emmert made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter, but it has become clear that this came as more and more conferences canceled seasonal sports seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the press release Thursday, NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Hainline that he knew of at least a dozen NCAA athletes who developed myocarditis post-COVID-19. The NCAA has just updated manual for institutions on how to screen for the condition, Hainline said.
Dr. Colleen Kraft, a guy with the IDSA, stated during the briefing that she “is very concerned about myocarditis.”
(iStock)
Myocarditis includes “inflammation of the heart associated with the potential for complications secondary to that inflammation, such as irregular heartbeat, sudden death, and heartbeat,” Glatt said.
In one recent report, examination of cardiac imaging found in the 100 patients in the study who had COVID-19, 78% had “cardiac involvement” and 60% had “persistent myocardial inflammation,” according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Due to the COVID pandemic, some football conferences, such as the Big Ten and Pac-12, have postponed seasons. Others like the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 plan to gamble, however, relying on their security guidelines and procedures to keep the new virus at bay.
Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork addressed the concerns of myocarditis in post-COVID athletes during an interview with the University’s Studio 12 radio segment.
‘We have white awareness about that heart problem forever. In modern medicine we test for this. We do initial screenings when athletes come to our campus. We did initial screenings when they returned to activity for any cardiac problems, “Bjork said, according to a transcript provided to Fox News.
“If someone tested positive, they had to test those heart tests before they could return to a positive test. So that’s not necessarily a new piece of data. We already know that. We have the protocols to make it as safe as possible. That for me, that is the track we need to stay on, “he added.
INHALED DRUG SHOW PROMOTION IN CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT: STUDY
Dr Carlos del Rio, a fellow with the IDSA and executive associate dean at Emory University, said he was worried that a return to sport would put more stress on hospital systems already overwhelmed with the virus.
“I feel like the Titanic. We’ve hit the iceberg, and we’re trying to decide what time we should play the band,” said Del Rio, who also serves on an advisory panel on NCAA COVID-19. “We need to concentrate on what’s important. What’s important at the moment is that we need to master this virus. Not having fall sports this year, when managing this virus, would be the No. 1 priority for me.”
This story contains material from the Associated Press.
