NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is currently recovering after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital with a broken hip.
TMZ reports that Abdul-Jabbar’s rep, Deborah Morales, revealed that the basketball star had been attending a show in Los Angeles on Friday, December 15, when he fell and broke his hip. First responders quickly arrived at the scene and took him to UCLA Hospital.
Morales told the news outlet that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is “deeply grateful” for the support he received from the Los Angeles Fire Department at the scene. He also thanked the “incredible” medical team and doctor at UCLA Hospital who are caring for him.
Although further details regarding Abdul-Jabbar’s condition have yet to be revealed, it appears the basketball star will recover. In addition to the hip situation, the athlete has had other health problems over the years. This includes his battle with prostate cancer in 2020 and chronic myeloid leukemia in 2008. In 2021, he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or AFib.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke about his heart disease and the importance of early detection of atrial fibrillation
While speaking with NIH MedlinePlus magazine earlier this year, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke about his current heart condition.
When asked if he had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, Abdul-Jabbar admitted to dismissing his symptoms. These were shortness of breath, fatigue and lightheadedness. “Over time, I experienced the symptoms more frequently and they interfered with activities that didn’t cause me any problems before, such as walking through an airport.”
However, things took a turn when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had difficulty leaving a Los Angeles Dodgers game in 2021.”[I] “I couldn’t get up without feeling so dizzy that I thought I was going to collapse,” he observed. “I was finally diagnosed with atrial fibrillation after my symptoms sent me to the hospital.”
Abdul-Jabbar also admitted that he was surprised by his diagnosis because he didn’t even know what AFib was. He also learned that AFib is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm that prevents the heart from filling completely or pumping enough blood. “Blood can pool in the heart, which increases the risk of blood clots and can lead to stroke and other heart-related complications.”
The basketball legend further noted that people with atrial fibrillation have a five-fold increased risk of suffering a stroke compared to the general population. Through his diagnosis, Abdul-Jabbar had to accept that he could not do everything he did before. “It’s scary to know that AFib increases your risk of stroke, but that’s why it’s so important to take your symptoms seriously and talk to a health professional.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn