Big 10 athletes coronavirus testing results showed that a third of all players who tested positive for coronavirus also had Myocarditis, a potentially serious heart disease that can lead to stroke and heart attacks.
Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State’s director of athletic medicine said that they looked at all cases of positive cases, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic and determined that 30 to 35 percent of athletes had the Myocarditis heart condition. He continued by saying, that they did not know what to do once the results came back. He indicated that this might have been the reason why both Big 10 and Pac-12 were put to hiatus.
Myocarditis prevalence in Big 10
Myocarditis involves inflammation of the heart that can cause the heart to lose its ability to pump blood. This may, in turn, lead to abnormal heart rates and in some rare instances causes stroke and heart attack.
Coronavirus infection has been shown to cause Myocarditis condition or exacerbate it on those who are infected.
Sebastianelli indicated that controlling the spread of coronavirus or handling it had become a challenge for the Big 10. The virus infection was something new and behaved differently from other infections such as influenza, which were easy to handle. He indicated that they did not have the experience at the moment.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren indicated that having weighed the risks involved in restarting the league, a decision had been agreed for the suspension of the league.
The announcement by Warren caused a stir and a sharp backlash from President Trump, players, coaches and fans who indicated that they did not agree with the decision. President Trump, at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, criticized the decision and asked the Big 10 to reconsider their decision of suspending the season.
President Trump also held talks with Warren on Tuesday and indicated that they had a productive conversation. However, the decision to restart the season by Big 10 would not be made.
Featured image by Pixabay
