NBA doctors express concern over long-term heart-issues for COVID-19 infected players

COVID-19 is said to be fatal for people who contract the virus in the short-term. But recent research suggests that people who recover might face health problems later on as well. As per reports, there can be long-term damage to the lungs and heart along with other ailments. As per Baxter Holmes of ESPN, the research has made league doctors express concerns about the virus causing heart problems for players who currently have the virus or even those who have recovered from it.

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NBA restart: NBA doctors concerned over the long-term health effects of NBA players with coronavirus

As the NBA restart is nearing, people have raised concerns about the NBA bubble in Orlando. The number of people doubting the has increased since multiple NBA players tested positive for COVID-19 before the teams even travelled to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the NBA restart. While all cases have been treatable for asymptomatic, reports have raised concerns about the health of the players further in their careers. 

According to ESPN's Baxter Holmes, NBA doctors are specifically worried about heart problems. Matthew Martinez, who works as a consulting cardiologist for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), stated that after recovery, rest is essential as doctors believe "the amount of cardiac damage can increase if you continue to exercise in the face of an active infection." He further stated that the result will be different for a regular person who may run two to three miles and for a professional athlete. Martinez added that their extreme workouts are why they worry about increasing the risk "of having an adverse event when there's cardiac damage related to a virus".

After NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league's return, reports stated that NBA players with coronavirus during the NBA restart will be sidelined for a minimum of 14 days and will undergo cardiac screening before being allowed to return to the court. While the time period will differ for every player, reports have revealed that players will take longer than two weeks to return back to playing at the NBA bubble. During an interview with CBS Sports, Dr Dermot Phelan, a cardiologist and Director of the Sports Cardiology Center at Atrium Health's Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, revealed that 33 percent people who are hospitalized, suffer from a cardiac injury after COVID-19.  

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This has raised concern for NBA players, who have been reported to have heart-related issues over the past few years. CBS reported that the league and NBA have been focusing on heart-related issues in recent years as several retired NBA players have passed away due to heart ailments. "Basketball players have the highest incidence of sports-related sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the United States among all-athlete groups," said a 2016 study done by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. They even reported that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common form of death for American athletes. It is a condition that thickens the wall of the left ventricle, "forcing the heart to work harder with every beat".

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NBA players with coronavirus

As of now, players like DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince recently tested positive for the virus and have been ruled out of the season. Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Christian Wood, Kevin Durant, Marcus Smart, Nikola Jokic, Malcolm Brogdon, Jabari Parker, Buddy Hield, Alex Len, Derrick Jones Jr, New York Knicks owner James Dolan and Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone have contracted the virus in the recent past. As of now, Gobert, Smart and Jokic have announced that they will be returning back to the court. Several other players were reported as positive before the NBA restart, but have not yet revealed their identity. The NBA season is scheduled to return on July 30.

Also read | 16 NBA players test positive for coronavirus: Who are they? Are NBA players sitting out? NBA players with coronavirus

(Image source: AP)