The world’s richest person has been accused of spreading misinformation after speculating about the potential role of in a cardiac arrest suffered by NBA legend LeBron James’ son.
In a response to a Twitter post about 18-year-old Bronny James’ sudden cardiac arrest earlier this week, referred to COVID-19 vaccines.
“We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing,” he wrote.
“Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”
But doctors have been quick to pour cold water on Musk’s speculation.
Elon Musk has been accused of contributing to a “misinformation vortex” surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. Source: AAP, EPA / Carina Johansen
Professor Catherine Bennett, head of epidemiology at Deakin University, said Musk’s comments contributed to a “misinformation vortex” surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.
“Myocarditis in 16-19-year-old males is about - and that’s 10 times the rate seen after vaccination in this age group … which is usually also less severe,” Bennett said.
“[Musk’s] baseless assertions do harm as they continue to confuse and/or worry some people who have already been made anxious by this kind of misinformation.”
Professor Chris Semsarian, a cardiologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, said James’ cardiac arrest was “extremely unlikely to be anything related to the vaccine”.
Vaccine-induced myocarditis is “an extremely rare event” affecting “around three in 100,000 people that get the vaccine”, Semsarian said.
“You're much more likely to get myocarditis from getting COVID than the vaccine that you have to prevent it,” he said.
“So if there's ever a problem with myocarditis, it's more likely to be the virus itself rather than the vaccine … I think it's extremely unlikely that LeBron James' son had a cardiac arrest due to vaccination.”
Vaccinations are "overwhelmingly beneficial", Semsarian said.
“Yes, very occasionally there might be a complication or a side effect. But overall, the benefit to society of vaccination is overwhelming,” he said.
“And there's no difference in the pandemic in the COVID vaccination program.”
What is cardiac arrest and why does it occur?
It is is an electrical problem with the heart that leads to the collapse or death of an individual, and can be caused by a range of factors.
“I call it an electrical short-circuiting of the heart,” Semsarian explained.
Cardiac arrest is different to a heart attack, which occurs due to a blocked artery, commonly caused by factors including cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking.
While there are a “whole range of things” that can trigger cardiac arrest, including infection and dehydration, in a young person it is more likely to occur due to an underlying inherited heart condition, Semsarian told SBS News.
“Those genetic abnormalities can actually trigger rhythm problems that can lead to cardiac arrest,” he said.
“It can also be [caused by] infections, it can be viral infections, it can be splitting of the aorta, and blood vessels problems … But when it's a young person, we do speak more about inherited or genetic conditions.
"The main one that comes to mind for a lot of people in the basketball arena is a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is thickening of the heart muscle. We see that a lot in athletes who have collapses or cardiac arrests.”
If a young person suffers a cardiac arrest, it is important that they and their family have it properly investigated, Semsarian said.
“If young people [such as Bronny James] have a blackout or a cardiac arrest, the message for the general population is that the family needs to get investigated, the child or the young adult needs to get investigated, to get to the cause of why that happened,” he said.
“Because if you don't find out the cause, it can happen again … So thorough investigation of the heart in that situation, including relatives … is very important to make sure that you're not sitting on what some people call a ‘time bomb’, which is a genetic health condition that can lead to cardiac arrest.”
What do we know about Bronny James’ cardiac arrest?
Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest while practicing with the University of Southern California (USC) basketball team on Monday, according to reports by US media.
The up-and-coming basketball star was in stable condition, ESPN reported on Wednesday, citing a James family statement.
The statement said James was no longer in intensive care at a hospital where he was taken after suffering cardiac arrest.
Los Angeles Fire Department personnel had responded to a medical emergency call shortly before 9.30am on Monday morning at the Galen Center, the team's home arena, an LAFD spokesperson said.
An adult male was treated and taken to the hospital, according to the spokesperson, who declined to disclose the patient's identity or details about the medical emergency.
"We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information," the family statement said, according to ESPN.
James is a highly touted incoming freshman guard for USC, having been named a McDonald's All-American as a senior in high school.
LeBron James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, has expressed interest in one day playing alongside his son in the NBA before his stellar career comes to a close.
- With reporting by Reuters.
