Emily Willis' tiny weight may have contributed to cardiac arrest, says doctor
Former adult star Emily Willis suffered a cardiac arrest at a rehab center in February 2024 and a medical expert says her 80 pound (5ft 7lbs) weight could have played a role
Emily Willis, the former adult star who suffered a cardiac arrest at a rehab centre in February 2024, was reportedly only 80 pounds (5st 7lbs) before her health crisis. A medical health doctor has suggested that her weight could have played a role in her condition.
Emily was left in a critical state and a vegetative coma following her cardiac arrest. The latest update on her condition came from her GoFundMe page in May 2024, which revealed she was showing "signs of responsiveness like eye tracking but is still unable to communicate".
Her stepfather, Michael, provided two updates to TMZ in March 2024 about Emily's condition. It comes after Emily's birthday in December.
In his last update, he shared that Emily had awakened from her "vegetative state" and was showing positive signs of recovery such as tracking things with her eyes, smiling and getting emotional during conversation.
However, it remains unclear if Emily's weight had any direct impact on her health crisis.
The family has not yet made another statement on her condition as fans await an update, reports Daily Star.
The same doctor who previously discussed Emily's condition likened it to "locked-in syndrome", a rare neurological disorder characterised by almost total body paralysis, barring the eye muscles.
Dr. Hofeldt noted that Emily's 80-pound weight and 5'5 height (as listed on her IMDB page) equated to a BMI of 17.5, which is medically classified as severe malnutrition, reports Mirror.
The cause of Emily's drastic weight loss and apparent severe malnutrition remains unknown, but common medical reasons include eating disorders, critical illnesses, cancer or inflammatory conditions.
Dr. Hofeldt further explained that such severe weight loss and malnutrition means the body lacks sufficient nutrients, fats, proteins and essential minerals, which can cause significant damage over time.
"The heart muscle in particular can be critically weakened and can even shrink in size and remodel. This can lead to abnormal and potentially fatal heart rhythms and cardiac arrest," she elaborated. She continued, stating that extreme weight loss can cause the heart muscle to "atrophy and become small and weak".
When the heart shrinks, "the heart rate also slows down like it is hibernating", she added. The doctor explained severe malnutrition can lead to "critical deficiencies in potassium, and magnesium that can also lead to dangerous heart rhythms".
This means that cardiac arrest or sudden death is a serious risk from that as well as anorexia. According to the American Heart Association, every 52 minutes someone dies of severe malnutrition or an eating disorder.
Dr. Hofeldt further mentioned another possible cause could be "refeeding syndrome", which occurs when a severely malnourished person starts eating again and food is introduced too quickly - leading to shifts in critical electrolytes, fatal heart disturbances, critically low blood pressure and even cardiac arrest.
However, the doctor reassured that people who suffer from severe malnutrition can recover and studies show that the "heart damage is reversible with nutritional rehabilitation and getting back to normal eating behaviour".
While it's hard to pinpoint why Emily experienced a cardiac arrest, Dr. Hofeldt emphasised that "severe malnutrition and severe weight loss can place significant strain on the heart and lead to cardiac arrest for three reasons: (1) weaken heart muscle, (2) lack of important electrolytes with malnutrition like potassium and magnesium, and (3) possible refeeding syndrome".