Rwanda’s Adrien Niyonshuti will miss most of the 2013 season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), complicated by pulmonary emboli, just before departing for Europe where he was expected to line up in Tirreno-Adriatico.
Symptoms of the DVT occurred after an international flight, and his doctors believe that prolonged inactivity exacerbated by mild dehydration was the likely cause.
On his return from Rwanda in mid-January, Adrien reported mild swelling of his right calf. Investigations confirmed a DVT complicated by pulmonary emboli. He was immediately admitted to hospital under specialist care.
Adrien has since been discharged and is feeling well. He will need a prolonged course of anticoagulant (“blood thinning”) treatment and will not be able to participate in any contact sport during this time. He will be out of competition indefinitely.
“In a situation like this the immediate and long-term health of the athlete takes absolute precedence over the disappointment associated with the team losing one of our high profile riders,” said MTN-Qhubeka team doctor Jon Patrios.
“Team MTN-Qhubeka’s medical network will continue to investigate possible intrinsic causes of Adrien’s illness and monitor his recovery while striving to facilitate his return to high level cycling.”
“I am disappointed but grateful that this was discovered sooner rather than later,” said Niyonshuti. “I was looking forward to testing myself against some of the biggest riders in the world.
“I will use this time to rest and reflect on my career and what I’ve achieved so far. I will be able to start indoor training in a couple of weeks and we’ll keep closely monitoring my health and progress.”
