4 The Record: Student Athletes' Health

NOW. WYFF NEWS FOUR PRESENTS FOR THE RECORD, WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I’M NIGEL ROBERTSON WIFE. NEWS FOUR IS COMMITTED TO BRINGING YOU IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT ARE AFFECTING OUR COMMUNITY, AND THAT IS WHAT WE PLAN TO DO EACH SUNDAY MORNING. TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT KEEPING STUDENT ATHLETES HEALTHY AND SAFE. OUR CONVERSATION COMES IN THE WAKE OF THE DEATH OF FURMAN UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PLAYER BRYCE STANFIELD IN FEBRUARY. HE WAS 21 YEARS OLD. HE WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER A MEDICAL EMERGENCY DURING A MORNING WORKOUT. HE APPEARED TO BE IN GREAT PHYSICAL HEALTH. UNIVERSITY CAN CONFIRM THAT BRYCE DIED FROM A PULMONARY EMBOLISM. EMBLEM EMBOSSED THEISM. JOINING ME THIS MORNING IS PARKSIDE PEDIATRICS DOCTOR CHRIS DAVIS. HARD TO SAY AND HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS. YEAH. SO FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I DIDN’T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW BRYCE, NOR WAS I INVOLVED IN HIS CARE, BUT I HEARD HE WAS A WONDERFUL YOUNG MAN. AND MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. PULMONARY EMBOLISMS ARE SUDDEN BLOCKAGES IN THE PULMONARY ARTERIES WITHIN THE LUNGS. THESE OFTEN START OUT AS CLOTS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY, AND THEN TRAVEL UP TO THROUGH THE HEART TO THE LUNGS AND BLOCK BLOOD FLOW FROM GOING TO OUR LUNGS. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOUR BODY CANNOT EXCHANGE OXYGEN WITH THE AIR IN THE BLOOD ANYMORE. AND SO SO THE SYMPTOMS THAT OCCUR CAN VARY WIDELY. A LOT OF THEM ARE SHORTNESS OF BREATH. THAT’S KIND OF THE MOST COMMON THING THAT YOU WOULD SEE. UM THAT’S UNEXPLAINED. IT COMES OUT OF NOWHERE. AND A SHORTNESS OF BREATH, CHEST PAIN, ESPECIALLY WITH DEEP BREATHING, LIGHTHEADEDNESS, DIZZINESS, INCREASED HEART RATE, UM, AND BECAUSE THAT BLOOD FLOW IS GETTING BLOCKED TO THE LUNGS NOW THAT LUNG TISSUE IS STARTING TO GET DAMAGED. AND SO YOU COULD HAVE A COUGH SOMETIMES WITH BLOOD BECAUSE THAT TISSUE IS GETTING DAMAGED. SO MUCH OF WHAT YOU SAID, THOUGH, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, A COUGH, I MEAN ALL THAT’S AS A PARENT LOOKING AT MY CHILD, I’VE GOT THREE BOYS SEEING THEM OUT THERE ON THE FIELD PLAYING BASKETBALL OR TENNIS OR OR EVEN FISHING, YOU KNOW. YEAH, STUFF HAPPENS AND YOU’RE LIKE, YOU MAY NOT NOTICE, BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN IT BECOMES SO SERIOUS, RIGHT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE SYMPTOMS DO VARY WIDELY FROM MILD TO SEVERE. THE ONSET CAN BE SUDDEN TO GRADUALLY OVER TIME. UM, AND SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO IF YOU ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR THESE CLOTS TO OCCUR, TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION AS SOON AS YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS AND BE EVALUATED, BECAUSE IF CAUGHT EARLY AND TREATED QUICKLY, THEY CAN BE TREATABLE. YEAH. SO YOU SEE SOMEONE WHO IS VERY HEALTHY, UM, BE TAKEN LIKE THIS. IT CAUSES PARENTS AND EVERYONE TO TO FEAR WHAT WHAT DO WHAT DO WE TAKE FROM THIS? WHAT CAN PARENTS DO? WHAT DO YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW? RIGHT. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT INCREASE THE RISK FACTORS FOR THINGS LIKE PULMONARY EMBOLISMS OR CLOTS IN GENERAL, ARE PROLONGED PERIODS OF IMMOBILITY. SO THOSE REALLY LONG CAR RIDES OR FLIGHTS WHERE YOU’RE NOT MOVING AROUND VERY MUCH, UM, DEHYDRATION. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR YOUNG FOLKS, IT IS RELATIVELY RARE, I THINK ABOUT 50,000 PEOPLE LAST YEAR IN THE US PASSED AWAY FROM PULMONARY EMBOLISM. UM, AND FOR SOMEONE WHO’S YOUNG AND ATHLETIC AND FIT, IT IS EVEN MORE RARE. AND SO BEING AWARE OF THE THINGS THAT PUT YOU AT HIGHER RISK, CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS, OBESITY, SMOKING, CERTAIN GENETIC CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT THE CLOTTING PROCESS LIKE FACTOR FIVE, LEIDEN CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CLOT FORMING. BUT THEN THERE ARE JUST TIMES WHERE THERE ARE NO ONE THING, NO ANSWERS. AS FAR AS HOW YOU CAN PREVENT ANY OF THESE THINGS. BUT UNDERSTANDING IT IS VERY RARE. BUT IF YOU DO HAVE ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS, OR YOU ARE CONSIDERED HIGHER RISK TO GET TREATED RIGHT AWAY. YEAH. AND HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS IT? I WOULD IMAGINE, FOR PARENTS TO TAKE THEIR KIDS IN, TO BE SEEN BY A PEDIATRICIAN OFTEN. CORRECT. REGULARLY. SO I’M OF THE MINDSET OF PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE IS KIND OF THE BEST MEDICINE. AND SO THINKING LONG TERME OVERALL HEALTH, UM, GETTING FREQUENT CHECKUPS, MAINTAINING HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT, UM, ADEQUATE HYDRATION AND HAVING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR, YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS WHERE THEY KNOW YOU OVER TIME AND THEY MAY EVEN SEE SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT SET YOU UP FOR HIGHER RISK AND CAN ADDRESS IT BEFORE IT EVER BECOMES A PROBLEM. YEAH, CONCUSSIONS. THAT IS WHAT WE HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT. UM, ESPECIALLY WITH SPORTS GETTING TOUGHER AND TOUGHER AND PEOPLE PUSHING THEMSELVES MORE AND MORE. UM, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING WITH THAT? UM, I THINK THE WITH CONCUSSIONS, IT VARIES FROM FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL. EVERY SCHOOL HAS THEIR RETURN TO PLAY PRECAUTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO CONCUSSIONS. AND I THINK MORE AND MORE SCIENCE IS COMING OUT WHEN IT LOOKS AT THE EXTENT AND OF WHAT’S GOING ON WITH CONCUSSIONS, HOW LONG IT TAKES TO RETURN TO PLAY, WHAT’S GOING ON WITHIN THE BRAIN. WHEN THAT HAPPENS. UM, AND SO IT’S BECOMING MORE AND MORE OF AN IMPORTANT THING FOR, UH, ATHLETIC PROGRAMS TO BE AWARE OF AND TO BE TALKING ABOUT WITH THEIR PLAYERS. BUT ALSO, IF YOU ARE A STUDENT AND OR A PARENT OF A STUDENT AND YOUR CHILD HAS A CONCUSSION, BE IN CONTACT WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS AND THEY HAVE CONCUSSION CLINICS NOW THAT FOLLOW THEM ALONG AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE MAKING THE PROGRESS THAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE MAKING BEFORE RETURNING TO PLAY. AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR PARENTS TO TELL YOUNG PEOPLE TO TO KNOW THEIR BODY? AND IF SOMETHING IS OFF, TELL SOMEONE, RIGHT. YEAH. SO IT’S ALMOST LIKE A TABOO THING FOR FOR KIDS ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, EVEN YOUNG MALES TO, TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING GOING ON WITH THEIR BODIES, UM, WITH THEIR MOM OR ANYONE. SO, UM, IF AT THE VERY LEAST BE ABLE TO, TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO THEIR, TO THEIR DOCTOR AND SAY, OKAY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL ME AS MOM, DAD OR MOM WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT YOU NEED TO TELL THE DOCTOR. AND SO WHEN WE GO IN FOR YOUR CHECKUP, MAKE SURE YOU TELL THEM EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON AND THEY CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. GREAT INSIGHT. AND OUR CONVERSATION CONTINUES STRAIGHT AHEAD. AN ATHLETIC TRAINER DISCUSSES WAYS TO KEEP ATHLETES HEALTHY