'That makes me scared': Influencer Jo Linder, who died at 30, spoke of health concerns online

Fitness influence Jo Lindner, also known as "Joesthetics", was suffering from a rare condition called rippling muscle disease (RMD) — which he had spoken of in a podcast. And just days before his death, he also voiced concerns about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which he underwent. The German bodybuilder and YouTuber died last week at the age of 30 due to aneurysm.

In many of his videos on social media, he had shown how his muscles ripple when he stretches them. During a podcast with YouTuber Bradley Martyn on June 7, Jo Lindner expressed concerns over his condition. “The heart is also a muscle, that’s my biggest concern. What if I get such a bad cramp that my heart gets a cramp,” he said.

Lindner added that the condition "makes me scared" and “that’s why I'm staying away from bodybuilding competitions too much”.

Lindner had over 8.5 million followers on Instagram and nearly 500 million views on his YouTube channel. He was known for his impressive training regimen and his gym workouts.

In an Instagram post on July 1, Lindner's girlfriend Nicha said he had complained of pain in his neck three days before he died but that they did not pay much heed to it.

What is rippling muscle disease?

According to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Centre (GARD), RMD belongs to a group of conditions known as caveolinopathies and primarily affects the muscles. Its symptoms involve increased muscle irritability, including percussion-induced rapid contractions, percussion-induced muscle mounding, and visible rippling of muscles.

Those with RMD commonly experience cramps, fatigue or muscle fitness especially after strenuous workouts or due to exposure to cold temperatures. The condition can also result in hypertrophy or overgrowth of muscles or an unusual gait.

As per GARD, rippling muscle disease can be caused due to changes in the CAV3 gene and its symptoms usually begin during late childhood or adolescence.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

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