In a shocking announcement a few days ago, Jets prospect Chaz Lucius announced his sudden retirement, and now, additional heartbreaking details have been revealed. Chaz Lucius, a former first-round NHL draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/winnipeg-jets/former-winnipeg-jets-first-round-pick-suddenly-retires-due-to-a-rare-medical-condition' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>has retired from professional hockey</a> following a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a very uncommon genetic condition. As I struggled with incurring and recovering from various joint injuries over the past several years, I had thought I was just unlucky. With the diagnosis of EDS, I now realize that my body impacted by EDS could not handle the physical nature of playing hockey, Lucius said in a statement on social media. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/spittinchiclets/status/1909732810463625683'> </a></blockquote></div> EDS is a collection of inherited disorders that affect connective tissues throughout the body, which provide support to skin, joints, blood vessels, and organs. Dr. Nimish Mittal, a physiatrist and medical director at Toronto's GoodHope EDS Clinic, <a href='https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/what-is-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-more-about-the-disease-that-forced-a-winnipeg-jets-prospect-to-retire/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CVascular%20Ehlers%2DDanlos%20is%20especially,a%20life%2Dthreatening%20emergency.%E2%80%9D' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>says there are 13 types of EDS,</a> and each one impacts people differently. EDS mostly happens because of a mutation in our DNA that results in a malformation of either a certain type of collagen or the proteins which bind that collagen and because of that, our connective tissue is fragile, said Mittal. Connective tissue is composed of our joints, ligaments, tendons, vessels around the blood, our soft tissue, organs, internal organs and so on. Now different types of EDS manifest depending on the mutation a person might have, and depending on that mutation, the severity, in terms of threat to life, is manifested. The most prevalent form, Hypermobile EDS, occurs in approximately 1 in 2,000 to 5,000 individuals and may result in recurrent joint dislocations, pain, and slower healing of injuries. The most serious form, Vascular EDS, which affects the blood vessels and internal organs, is much rarer, affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 individuals. Vascular Ehlers-Danlos is especially life-threatening because it affects the arteries around the heart. You're born with a condition you don't know about and if you engage in some high-impact activity, because the vessels are brittle, they just rupture and it becomes a life-threatening emergency. Mittal explains that individuals with EDS tend to have extremely wide ranges of motion that result in repeated injury as well as chronic nerve pain. Diagnosing EDS can be challenging, and it takes anywhere from 10 to 16 years on average. An abnormal range of motion, which predisposes them to repetitive strains and sprains and instability because their joints are not holding proper. And when these joints don't hold properly, they can suffer repetitive, as I said, strains and sprains. Now, since they also have this connective tissue injury, their healing is delayed. In other instances, particularly less common forms, symptoms appear in early childhood. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/ctvwinnipeg/status/1910150772441964909'> </a></blockquote></div> <h3>There is no cure for EDS</h3> Despite the lack of a cure, treatment is usually with a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, such as physiotherapists, dietitians, and specialists such as cardiologists. In patients with Hypermobile EDS, life expectancy is generally normal. Lucius' decision to retire from the sport highlights the strain of EDS, even on elite athletes.