- American journalist Grant Wahl died of a ruptured aneurysm, his wife — Dr. Celine Gounder — said.
- The prominent soccer reporter suddenly collapsed while covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Prominent US soccer journalist Grant Wahl died while covering the World Cup in Qatar because of an aortic aneurysm that ruptured, his wife revealed on Tuesday.
She added that there was "nothing nefarious about his death."
Wahl's widow, Dr. Céline Gounder, wrote on Wahl's Substack that an autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office, which showed that Wahl died "from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium."
In the days prior to his death, Wahl had publicly revealed that he was struggling with a bronchitis-type ailment that resulted in several visits to the medical facilities available to journalists covering the World Cup. But Gounder, who is a prominent infectious disease specialist, said "the chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms" of his aortic aneurysm.
"No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him," she added. "His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status."
During an interview on "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday, Gouder said: "It's just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years and for whatever reason it happened at this point in time."
Wahl suddenly collapsed while covering the FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands in Qatar last Friday, and died en route to the hospital. He was 48.
Wahl's brother, Eric, had initially said the death was suspicious. Wahl had reported extensively on the corruption and human rights abuses that contributed to Qatar's ability to host the World Cup.
And after he wore a rainbow-colored shirt to one of the World Cup arenas in an effort to draw attention to the country's record on LGBTQ+ rights, Wahl was stopped and briefly detained by Qatar authorities, who claimed the design was "not allowed."
Eric, who is gay, said his brother had received death threats throughout his time in the Middle East.
Despite his initial suggestions that foul play may have contributed to his brother's death, Eric backtracked on Twitter Tuesday after the autopsy was finished. He added that he "no longer" suspected foul play.
He later apologized for his initial response, adding that his suspicions were fueled by "concerning things Grant told me, and well-known corruption."
Gounder noted in her Substack post that "a memorial service to celebrate Grant's life is being planned."
"Details will be forthcoming," she added.
What is an aortic aneurysm?
The aorta, our largest artery, carries fresh, oxygenated blood from the heart out to the body.
An aneurysm is essentially a "ballooning in the upper part of the aorta, as it comes out of the heart," Gounder explained on The Peter King Podcast Wednesday.
If the aneurysm tears or beaks open, the damage and severe internal bleeding caused can be life-threatening very quickly.
"This had been silent, probably for years, it ruptured, and he would have bled out quite rapidly," Gounder said. "His heart would not have been able to beat against that pressure."
Symptoms of a ruptured aortic aneurysm include chest pain and fainting
Wahl had complained of sudden chest pain at the World Cup, and Gounder said he likely passed out so quickly that death was "probably fairly painless" for him. It's often difficult to diagnose aortic aneurysms ahead of time because they don't tend to cause symptoms until around the time the burst happens, and patients experience dizziness, rapid heart rate, sudden, severe chest pain, or abdominal/back pain.
A chest CT scan may identify small aneurysms, so sometimes the condition is diagnosed by chance during another exam.
Risk factors include Marfan syndrome and genetics
It's possible that Wahl had a condition that made him more susceptible to aortic aneurysms called Marfan syndrome, a tissue disorder that can predispose people to these catastrophic ruptures. Gounder said Wahl never had any screening for Marfan but that his brother may need to be screened now. The odds of developing an aortic aneurysm are around 1 in 5 for first degree relatives of patients.
People with Marfan syndrome tend to be very tall and thin, with long arms, legs and fingers. Gounder called her husband's death a "natural event" and said it was "unrelated to the stresses of his work at the World Cup."
Heart stress & severe exertion may be a compounding factor, in combination with other factors like high blood pressure, but doctors emphasize stress alone will not directly cause an aortic aneurysm.
Other conditions that can lead to aortic aneurysms include aging, smoking, heart disease, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and Turner syndrome. Genetics may play a role in some (10-15%) aortic aneurysms, according to an analysis published by the American College of Cardiology.