Argentinian striker Sergio Agüero, recruited last summer by FC Barcelona, announced on Wednesday (December 15th) his forced retirement at age 33 due to heart problems. In tears at a press conference, “Kun” explained his decision “to stop professional football” after doctors confirmed to him that it was “the best decision” due to his heart problems.
The Argentinian suffered a chest discomfort on October 30, in the middle of a match against Alavés counting for the 12th day of Liga at Camp Nou (1-1). For francienfo: sport, François Carré, cardiologist and sports doctor at Rennes University Hospital, discusses these heart problems which affect high-level athletes and their detection, which is very complex.
Franceinfo: sport: On Wednesday, Argentinian striker Sergio Agüero announced that he was a victim of arrhythmia, which is why he was ending his professional career. Can you explain to us what arrhythmia and its origins are?
François Carré: A arrhythmiais when the heart is not beating at a normal rate. To give you an image: the electricity leaves the atrium and is diffused little by little on the cardiac ventricles and while you have a regular rhythm, from time to time, you have a beat that appears prematurely and this causes arrhythmia.
The origins can be various. L’arrhythmia can come from the atria, or the ventricle and it is in this case where it is the most annoying, because one can see appearing a tachycardia. People with arrhythmias are more likely to have cardiac arrest. However, not all forms of arrhythmia are equally serious. Atrial arrhythmia does not necessarily prevent a footballer from playing. It is not necessarily synonymous with the forced termination of a sports career.
Sergio Aguero is now 33 years old, and shone for several years at Manchester City before arriving at FC Barcelona. Never before has there been any question of heart problems with this player. So is it possible that his arrhythmia was revealed recently?
Yes, among the various causes of arrhythmia, there are genetic causes. There are genetic diseases that can cause arrhythmias, some that we do not know and others that are not expressed, that is to say that we have no signs of this disease or on the electrocardiogram, nor on the cardiac ultrasound.
“It’s a very difficult moment … it’s for my health.”
– @aguerosergiokun pic.twitter.com/DYBjqqSQf2
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 15, 2021
Second, there are acquired arrhythmias, that is, there was an abnormality in the heart level, and it resulted in arrhythmia. Since the doctors advised him to stop his career, I think it is an arrhythmia of the ventricle. Otherwise, he would have been offered another option.
Since his discomfort last October, at rest and under treatment since, Sergio Agüero probably hoped, like his club, to see his condition improve. What are the treatments forarrhythmia ?
Two treatments are available to us. We can use drugs called beta blockers, but we avoid using them in athletes because, of course, they are effective on arrhythmias, but they greatly reduce the heart’s ability to exert itself.
The second treatment is ablation. Using a probe which is passed through an artery or a vein, we target the place from which the arrhythmia starts, and we burn or we surround, like a border, the whole area from which apart from the arrhythmia. Thus, electricity will no longer be able to diffuse throughout the heart. Finally, in certain cases, a complete rest of three to six months makes it possible to make disappear arrhythmia.
Does the fact that he is forced to stop his career, a month and a half after his discomfort, gives an idea of the gravity of his situation?
Yes, the conclusion that we give is that the practice of an intense sport risks causing either an aggravation of the disease, or a serious accident which would put his life in danger.
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Before him, several footballers were forced to stop their careers for medical reasons. These were often discovered at the time of transfers. Are the examinations carried out during transfers therefore more thorough?
Normally yes. The player we follow, we know him, so we will compare our data with those we had before. If nothing appeals to the medical team the first time during the complete check-up, I won’t go and look for a lot more things afterwards.
On the other hand, the examination will be more thorough with the player who is going to be transferred. We therefore look at it from all angles. Let’s not forget that there are large sums of money behind transfers and insurance worries.
Do the medical examinations depend on the country?
Yes, it all depends on where the athlete signs. Italian cardiologists are very picky, especially legally. In Italy, the medical certificate of absence of contraindication to sport is a certificate whose responsibility is enshrined in law. The person who signs it is therefore responsible. A doctor was also sentenced to one year in prison for the death of a footballer after a heart attack. The doctor who signed the agreement was held responsible for what caused the cardiac arrest which claimed the life of this player.
Depending on the country, you will therefore have a more or less complete assessment. There is no international balance sheet imposed by Fifa. Fifa requires a cardiac ultrasound and an electrocardiogram. These are basic check-ups but more complicated check-ups are not mandatory because not everyone has the devices to perform more complex exams. This is why, when a player moves from one club to another, we can discover things.