 |
| Basketball Players And Blood Clots Image - Source From Google Image |
Basketball players could be at greater risk for dangerous blood clots that travel to the lungs, Spanish scientists have warned. Their height could leave the athletes more susceptible to suffering a pulmonary embolism, their findings reveal.In taller people, their blood has to be pumped a longer distance, which may cause reduced blood flow in the legs and increase the risk of a clot forming.
But, the results, calculated from only six cases in US and European players, need to be replicated in larger studies, the researchers caution.Dr Marti Casals, lead author from the national Research Center Network for Epidemiology and Public Health and the Public Health Agency of Barcelona, said: 'We have shown there is limited evidence of higher risk, so more research is needed
At the Classic Turf Co blog, we write a lot about the artificial turfs we install, including basketball and tennis courts, but we also feel it’s important to report on the worlds of basketball and tennis, the trends that are shaping the players involved, because if we don’t know the trends, how can we effectively install and implement our courts? So much of our courts are dependent on the health of basketball and tennis players. If a certain health issue pops up that will change the way the game is played, we absolutely must change the way are courts are built and installed.
In a recent study, it seems that basketball players are at higher risk of dangerous blood clots, according to Reuters.
Janice Neumann writes, “Basketball players could be at heightened risk for dangerous blood clots that travel to the lungs. But the results – calculated from only six cases of so-called pulmonary embolism in U.S. and European players – need to be replicated in larger studies, the authors caution. They said, “We have shown there is limited evidence of higher risk, so more research is needed. However, our research should serve to warn the basketball community about the possible risk.”
Blood clots are serious and it’s good that there was a study conducted – and while limited evidence of higher risk was discovered, there is still the need to do a larger study. Consider this a sampling size, a warning of the possible effects that the sport has on the lungs of athletes. We will keep you posted as news develops.
Basketball players 'at high risk of life-threatening blood clots' - (and their height could be to blame)
Experts warn basketball players could be at greater risk of blood clots
Pulmonary embolism is typically a clot that travels to the lungs from legs
Players' height could be to blame - further for the blood to be pumped
This could reduce blood flow in the legs and raise the chance of a clot
But, small study needs to be followed up with larger research, experts say
By Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com
Published: 16:58, 2 November 2015 | Updated: 19:00, 2 November 2015
Basketball players could be at greater risk of suffering a dangerous blood clot in the lungs, Spanish scientists have warned
Basketball players could be at greater risk for dangerous blood clots that travel to the lungs, Spanish scientists have warned.
Their height could leave the athletes more susceptible to suffering a pulmonary embolism, their findings reveal.
In taller people, their blood has to be pumped a longer distance, which may cause reduced blood flow in the legs and increase the risk of a clot forming.
But, the results, calculated from only six cases in US and European players, need to be replicated in larger studies, the researchers caution.
Dr Marti Casals, lead author from the national Research Center Network for Epidemiology and Public Health and the Public Health Agency of Barcelona, said: 'We have shown there is limited evidence of higher risk, so more research is needed.
'However, our research should serve to warn the basketball community about the possible risk.'
Dr Casals and his team searched previous studies to compare rates of pulmonary embolism among male and female players, and their peers in the general population.
The comparison groups were 25 to 34-year-olds in Minnesota and Norway - the only two study locations where embolism rates in the general population were available.
The athletes were from two major leagues, the US NBA and the Basketball Clubs Association (BCA) in Spain.
Researchers discovered the rates of pulmonary embolism among players translated to 1.27 per thousand of the population for the NBA.
And 2.06 per thousand for the BCA.
In comparison, rates in the general population of young adults in Minnesota and Norway were 0.1 and 0.018 per thousand, respectively.
Pulmonary embolism, which strikes older people much more than the young, is most typically a blood clot that has traveled to the lungs from the leg.
Symptoms of pulmonary embolism include difficulty breathing, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, coughing and coughing up blood, the authors note in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Immobility, surgery and cancer can increase the risk of pulmonary embolism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Dr Casals told Reuters Health: 'Professional athletes are exposed to high levels of effort which may result in a process of chronic inflammation, to repeated injuries, frequent air travel (economy-class syndrome) and the subsequent immobility, to novel treatments of injuries such as platelet-rich plasma and a whole series of additional circumstances that when combined may point out professional basketball as a special population at risk.'
Though their findings come from just six cases, experts warn further research is necessary. A pulmonary embolism is most typically a blood clot that has traveled to the lungs from the leg
Dr Casals and his team note the embolism rate could be even higher than what they found, if the number of cases is under-reported.
Dr Jeffrey Gold, a lung doctor at Oregon Health & Science University, who was not involved in the research, called the study 'very provocative'.
'Just off the cuff, if asked would athletes be at higher risk, given the number who have knee and leg injuries, I would not have been surprised,' he said.
'However, that it appears to uniquely affect basketball players is a bit unusual.
But, having more people in the comparison groups could help 'to see if it is truly basketball players or is height (or in some studies, leg length) truly the main factor,' Dr Gold added.
'Where this is really interesting is that there are data, at least in males, that height (being taller) is associated with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, as well, so it all fits,' he added.
Dr Gold noted that smoking and possibly oral contraceptives, trauma or surgery might all be risk factors for pulmonary embolism.
'It's important to make sure that if players have surgery, especially on legs, where they won't be up walking around afterwards, that using blood thinners may be warranted,' he said.
Tag : Basket Player,
Basketball Players And Blood Clots
Basketball Player With Blood Clot In Lungs
Nba Player With Blood Clots In Lungs
Can You Exercise With A Blood Clot
Can Dehydration Cause Blood Clots
Athletes And Blood Clots
Blood Clot Exercise Precautions
Chris Bosh Blood Clot Cause
Chris Bosh Blood Clot Symptoms
