Heart problems like those of ‘Kun’ Agüero can complicate Peruvian football | REPORT

After a jump to pivot a center in the rival area, to Sergio Aguero he was short of breath. He walked around a bit as he touched his upper chest, almost his neck. He called for help, lay down on the ground and waited for the Barcelona doctors to arrive. It seemed dizzy because he walked out of the field, but in reality he suffered an arrhythmia – a heart rate disorder – for which he had to be admitted to a hospital and will be off the fields for three months. It had already happened to him when he was 12 years old. At 33 he lived this bad experience again.

It happened a week ago at the Camp Nou, in the west of Barcelona, ​​but the scare has not yet passed. For a moment, the world of football remembered the case of Christian Eriksen. The Dane suffered cardiac arrest during a match at the European Championship in June. Five months have passed and, after an operation, it is still not known if he will play professionally again.

“The player Kun Agüero has undergone a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure by dr. Josep Brugada. It is low and during the next three months the effectiveness of the treatment will be evaluated to determine its recovery process “, informed the Catalan institution about the player through Twitter.

“I am well and in good spirits to face the recovery process. I want to thank you all for so many messages of support and love that make my heart stronger today”, replied the Argentine gesture.

“”, analyzes Dr. Julio Grados, former doctor of the Peruvian team and other national football clubs.

Cases in South America

Although it is true that neither of the two previous cases (Agüero and Eriksen) have been associated with the coronavirus -the ‘Kun’ was infected in May of this year-, there are footballers who suffered heart problems after having overcome the disease.

Edwin cardona from Boca Juniors, Leonardo Ponzio and Paulo Díaz of River Plate and Lucas Barrios Gymnastics, all of Argentine soccer, suffered myocarditis after COVID-19. None, as reported by their respective clubs, had a record.

“It was said that players were more protected by being in better physical condition, and they are not. The clubs have to check the player, as in my case, and let him play again when he is at one hundred percent “, said Barrios, who presented heart problems just before playing a classic against Estudiantes de La Plata.

It is not common, but the problem is there. In March of this year, the American journal “JAMA Cardiology” published a study among 789 athletes in which it was determined that only 0.6% of athletes who contracted the virus had heart problems.

The research collaborated with medical experts from the leagues of American football (NFL), men’s basketball (NBA) and women’s basketball (WNBA), baseball (MLB), soccer (MLS) and ice hockey (NHL).

Sébastian Le Garrec, head of the medical team of the French National Institute of Sport, Competition and Performance, explained to the AFP agency that “”.

Peruvian look

Peruvian soccer is not exempt in these cases. In 2013, in a match for the Promotion and Reserve Tournament between Sporting Cristal and Real Garciaso at the Municipal Stadium of Urcos, Yair clavijo, 17, died after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest in the middle of the game. Upon receiving medical aid it was learned that there was no defibrillator in the field.

It was the first sudden death on the playing field that is officially registered in Peruvian football, having as a precedent that of Marcio dos Santos that in 2002 he died hours after a match between Alianza Lima and Deportivo Wanka in Huancayo.

Different are the cases of Gary Correa and Roberto Guizazola. Both were detected heart problems when they were taking their first steps, but after treating each other they continued playing. In fact, Correa played League 2 with Los Chankas. “I went back to play and my little heart worked like a clock”, said ‘Cucurucho’ in an interview in 2020.

“In Peru we should be a little more careful with the medical issue. There were already heart problems in Peruvian football and everything was solved by putting a defibrillator on the field, but the solution should be to delve into a study to have a previous diagnosis and not have the need to use a defibrillator”, notes Degrees.

Given this, from the Peruvian Football Federation They told us that heMedical protocols indicate that there must be an ambulance with a defibrillator and medical personnel in the field to attend to emergencies. In addition, clubs are obliged to ensure the integral well-being of their footballerss, which is why the FPF licensing system requires institutions to have a doctor.

In Spain, there were three cases in high-performance athletes (two footballers and a swimmer) who suffered an acute inflammatory condition with consequences similar to a heart attack. In that sense, according to the statements taken by the newspaper “El Confidencial”, the head of Cardiology at the State Anti-Doping Agency (Aepsad), Araceli Boraita, recommended that no athlete resume work immediately after overcoming the disease.

In the Peruvian case, for now only the physical and pulmonary part is considered in the studies to return to the practices. “A footballer who comes out of a COVID-19 picture, whether mild or not, should have cardiac studies done to return to normal training. ”asks Juan Menéndez, a former cardiologist at San Martín.

The show must continue, but as long as the health of the protagonists is protected.