“Recovery from mononucleosis in Shcherbakova can take about a year” – sports doctor

Olympic figure skating champion recovers from infectious mononucleosis Anna Shcherbakova can take up to a year, sports doctor Maria Rozina told .

Earlier, Sport24 reported that Shcherbakova suspended training at Eteri Tutberidze’s team preparatory camp due to mononucleosis.

– In fact, children and adults and, of course, athletes regularly fall ill with mononucleosis. I wouldn’t call it some kind of grand infectious disease. You can immediately recall the stories with Martin Fourcade, Daria Domracheva. The disease is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, in Europe and America it is quite widely known. When it is detected in European or American athletes, they understand immediately: it is for a long time. That is, the ability to withstand physical activity in an athlete decreases for about a year. That is, it is impossible to say that Shcherbakova, like after a cold, will be a cucumber in three weeks. Because the disease itself takes a long time, depending on the form, it can take one and a half to two months.

But for an athlete, the recovery period is also important and can take from six months to a year. The consequences of infectious mononucleosis are pronounced fatigue, and for an athlete this means poor exercise tolerance, as well as reduced immunity. There is no medicine that immediately kills all the virus in the body. Doctors monitor the condition of the body, the condition of the liver, the condition of the blood and warn of the danger of further contact with patients so as not to catch other viruses and some seasonal diseases. Because due to reduced immunity, a person is additionally susceptible to diseases.

But to say that it will greatly affect health later, I would not. They cure mononucleosis, in 99% of cases there is no trace of it. This period of life is just waiting to be lived. I would not be in a hurry to send such an athlete back onto the ice, and I certainly wouldn’t drive her onto the ice. It must be kept dry for the next few months. I would also keep an eye on his liver enzymes, as the liver in this situation suffers the most. In general, everything will be fine for her, but not now.

– Well, that is, the disease itself is not terrible, only the period without training is terrible …

– You know our athletes, they always endure, go out on the ice. But now it is very dangerous. And the example of Roman Kostomarov should teach us all this. Of course, I would not like to recall this example now compared to Shcherbakova, these are completely different stories. But it is an illustration of how athletes are able to endure some kind of illness for performances, competitions, etc. This is exactly the case when relatives need to slow them down, because nothing good will happen against the background of recovering from mononucleosis.

– You know how short the age of our skaters is. Is it possible to say that Shcherbakova’s career is over, if now she has to miss about a year?

No, I wouldn’t say that. It is contraindicated in high intensity training. It can be hypothetically assumed that it will be difficult for him to withstand heavy loads. But light training – general physical training, rolling, gymnastics in the hall, calm skating, what she can do, what she can do. All of this can be done, so she will have something to do. We know the nature of our athletes, so I wouldn’t talk about any retirement,” Rozina told correspondent.

Shcherbakova is 19 years old. She is the Olympic champion of the 2022 Games in Beijing, the world champion, the winner of the Grand Prix stages and the multiple champion of Russia.