UPDATED 2/17: Nick Cannon released a statement today on the 92.3 NOW morning show website, saying that he is stepping down from his "Rollin" radio show in order to rest his body.
He said in the statement:
Under doctor's orders, I have been asked to put my health first and cut back on some of my professional commitments in order to allow my body to get the rest that it needs to keep up with the demands of my multi-tasking schedule.
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Apparently, Nick Cannon's health problems didn't end after he was hospitalized last month for kidney problems.
The New York Daily News reported that Cannon, 31, said on his 92.3 NOW radio show that he went to the hospital last Friday because of blood clots in his lungs and an enlarged heart ventricle. While his kidneys are reportedly doing fine, Cannon said that having to fly a lot because of his job were a huge factor in the blood clots in his lungs. Cannon was back at work today, Wednesday.
"I travel a lot. Anyone who flies a lot can be a victim to getting blood clots because it can start in your legs or your lower back (from sitting for an extended period of time)," the New York Daily News reported Cannon saying. "That, on top of my previous condition made me more prone to (getting blood clots)."
Cannon's doctor said that Cannon's overworking himself was likely a big factor in his poor health recently, the New York Daily News reported.
Cannon was hospitalized just last month with what his wife Mariah Carey described as a "mild kidney failure." Doctors say she probably meant that Cannon had something called acute kidney injury, or acute kidney failure, which is when the kidneys stop functioning properly and allow fluids, waste and electrolytes to store up in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Cannon's recent blood clots are nothing to scoff at, though. Forty-four-year-old rapper Heavy D died late last year from a pulmonary embolism, which is the term for a blockage in the arteries of the lungs, which was likely spurred by a long flight the music artist had just taken from London to Los Angeles. (Heavy D, whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers, reportedly also had heart disease that may have factored into his death, TMZ reported.)
Being immobile for long periods of time is a known risk factor for deep vein thrombosis, the term for a blood clot in the deep veins (most commonly in the legs). The clot can break off and travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include being short of breath, having trouble breathing, coughing (or coughing up blood), chest pain and even irregular heartbeat, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Signs of deep vein thrombosis include leg swelling, leg pain or tenderness, warmth in the affected leg and discolored skin.
Recently, guidelines released from the doctor group American College of Chest Physicians shows that blood clots from traveling -- coined "economy class syndrome" -- are actually not more common when you fly economy class. The real risk is run when people don't get up and move around on a long flight, particularly those lasting more than five to eight hours, the Associated Press reported.
The creators of the guidelines found that sitting by the window could play a role in the blood clots because people in those seats may not get up as often, according to the Associated Press.