Batter up
The most important news in healthcare: Tuesday, May 12th
Good morning. Today we’re covering a new childhood complication of Covid-19, the pending return of the MLB, and the latest goings-on from X Æ A-12’s (that’s pronounced Kyle, right?) father.
Mysterious new pediatric condition tied to Covid-19 exposure
The pulse:
Ninety-three children in New York have become ill with a new disease called pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome. This previously undescribed condition has been linked to Covid-19 and has led to five deaths so far.
What is pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome?
The syndrome causes high fevers, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and may lead to circulation and breathing issues. Strangely, symptoms do not include two symptoms typically associated with Covid-19: cough and shortness of breath. Doctors around the country and in Europe have identified cases with worryingly similar characteristics.
How is this new disease related to Covid-19?
Despite not showing the classic Covid-19 symptoms, most of these children have tested positive for Covid-19 or Covid-19 antibodies. Doctors believe the SARS-CoV-2 virus could be triggering an extremely aggressive immune response in these children. The response, if uncontrolled, can dangerously lower blood pressure and cause heart damage. The symptoms are similar to another type of rare condition called Kawasaki disease, though doctors are emphasizing that the two conditions are distinct.
Can adults get this? How common is it?
Disease data is sparse, but alarming — it had previously been hypothesized that the virus has a relatively mild effect on kids. Most children with the disease were previously healthy with no underlying conditions. Doctors believe that children may be more susceptible to the disease than adults because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.
Bottom line it for me:
This illness has begun to afflict children just as the conversation about reopening schools was beginning. It reinforces just how much there is to learn still about the pandemic and the virus that’s causing it.
Source: CNN.
Take me back to the ballgame
The pulse
A mere .7% of Major League Baseball employees tested positive for coronavirus antibodies – a rate far lower than what’s been observed in most major cities.
Why’s the MLB doing so hot?
MLB’s .7% positive antibody rate is incredibly low when compared to LA’s 4% and New York City’s 20%. The league’s preseason shutdown might have contributed to that, as employees stopped working in March even as the majority of teams guaranteed payment through the end of May. Demographics have likely also played a role: the study sample was 60% men, 80% white, and inclusive of many white-collar workers. COVID-19 has taken a harder toll on worse-off communities, as described by study author Dr. Jay Bhattacharya:
There’s a socioeconomic gradient where poorer populations are facing COVID infections at higher rates.
Enough about the virus. Is baseball back soon?
MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has been phoning governors around the country trying to get baseball back on the menu, and it just might have worked. Yesterday, MLB owners approved a plan to get baseball back in July for a shortened season with amended divisions and rules. Of course, the games are expected to be fan-free, which is a challenging proposition for all those financially invested: teams estimate that more than 40% of revenues are tied to ticket sales or other gate-related income.
How long until I can be back in the stadium?
A while. The MLB may be the first league to get things back up, but even if the NBA and the NFL follow suit later this summer/fall, commissioners of both leagues have begun planning for fan-less games. Bill Gates recently said that he doesn’t see fans going back to live sporting events until a vaccine is readily available – which likely puts us a year or more out from booing the Red Sox in person.
Bottom line it for me:
Surprisingly few MLB employees have had coronavirus, and the MLB may start games up soon -- but don’t plan a Jumbotron engagement anytime in the near future.
Rapidfire
Elon Musk has had a busy week. In addition to becoming a new father to son X Æ A-12 (remember when North West seemed out there?), he’s now declared that his Tesla factory will resume production against Alameda County orders. “If anyone is arrested” he tweeted, “I ask that it only be me.”
MyoKardia stock has soared on reports that its drug Mavacamten performed positively in a late stage clinical trial of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Approximately 1 in 500 people suffer from HCM, an inherited condition that can lead to sudden cardiac death. Mavacamten may be able to prevent heart failure and allow these patients to live more active lives.
A new study helps explain why schizophrenia is more severe in men and lupus more common in women. Differences in the expression of the C4 gene, implicated in the immune response, may play a factor in the gender divide in these two conditions.
What we’re watching: Fitbit ($FIT)
Time to lace up those running shoes for a backyard marathon: Fitbit is making a splash, or at least trying to, after seeing Apple eat up shares for the past couple years in the smart wearable market. Last week, Fitbit launched a heart study to test whether its wearables can detect a common heart problem known as atrial fibrillation -- four years after Apple did the same with its Apple Watch.
Atrial fibrillation, or a-fib for short, is an irregular heartbeat that affects 3 to 6 million Americans and can lead to higher rates of stroke and heart attack. It’s a big pie, and Fitbit thinks it can take a unique chomp of it: by offering multi-day battery life, Fitbit devices can collect larger amounts of data than the Apple Watch’s 18-hour cap allows for.
Perhaps most interestingly, the study represents Google’s latest foray into healthcare, coming six months after Google’s 2.1 billion dollar acquisition of Fitbit. Data in the hands of Google is a powerful thing, and it’ll be interesting to keep tabs on how much the 250,000 person study turns up beyond a-fib detection.
Fitbit stock is down 3% since the study was announced last Wednesday.