– I have had good health all my life and rarely had a problem. Now that I’ve experienced it, I really appreciate the days when I’m healthy, Mathias Hove Johansen tells news. TRAINING CAMP: Mathias Hove Johansen was in South Africa when the illness occurred. Photo: Mathias Hove Johansen / He has long been among Norway’s fastest men and has a number of NM gold medals in the special distance of 200 metres. But in January, the otherwise healthy 24-year-old experienced something strange. Everything looked good and his form was improving during a training camp in South Africa, but the day before returning home he contracted food poisoning. Bad in itself, but only the start of many months of trouble for Hove Johansen. Follow the team EC in athletics on news’s channel 23–25. June. TO HOSPITAL: Mathias Hove Johansen experienced the nightmare during a training camp in January. He was still struggling with the after-effects of the illness. Photo: Mathias Hove Johansen Discovered a rare genetic defect Because after the food poisoning, the sprinter’s ankle suddenly – and very unexpectedly – began to swell. – When I got it, I didn’t understand anything. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep, he says. At first he thought he might have sprained his ankle in training. But the damage worsened during the night, and Hove Johansen began searching for answers on the internet. A lot of fluid filled up in his ankle, and he was taken to hospital to have the fluid drained. There he was also diagnosed with what was wrong. The cause of the swelling is called HLA-B27 – a gene that can make people exposed to certain types of diseases. In Hove Johansen’s case, the special joint disease reactive arthritis. – So my immune system overreacted to the food poisoning and attacked the ankle. It swelled up like a balloon, suddenly I couldn’t walk properly, says the Norwegian champion. The disease affects 30–40 per 100,000 people worldwide annually. Stavanger Aftenblad has previously discussed the case. Fear of blood clots The first prognosis indicated that Hove Johansen would have to undergo 1-6 months of rehabilitation. There is also a risk that the disease will become chronic. With a balloon around his ankle, he initially had to have help to get home from South Africa. – It hurt so much in my left foot that I couldn’t hobble on my right foot. Then I ended up in a wheelchair for a few days, he says. SPRINTER: Mathias Hove Johansen is among Norway’s fastest men, both at 100 meters and 200 meters. Photo: Mathias Hove Johansen Back in Norway, his condition continued to worsen. The doctor feared that the swelling could lead to a blood clot, but after another day in hospital in Norway, he was able to confirm the same diagnosis. – Now it’s probably been 4-5 months, and it seems like it’s almost gone. When I travel and run a lot, it comes back a little, but it’s under control, says Hove Johansen. During the Bislett Games on 15 June, he won the 200 meters during the national practice. This weekend he will run 200 meters and relay for Norway during the team European Championship in Silesia in Poland. – I’ve actually only been able to train properly for the last month and a half, and still have a bit of a problem. But it looks like I’ll be back in good shape soon.
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Discovered a rare gene defect in Mathias Hove Johansen – the sprinter to hospital in South Africa – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
