For many years it has been known that professional footballers suffer from a variety of injuries during their career. While most injuries happen during their active football playing career, there is now evidence that footballers also have a higher rate of dementia than the general population. The issue about head injury in sports athletes made news in September when 3 NFL players declared that they will donate their brains for clinical research after death.
The frequent head concussions and contusions that occur during a players football days do have a poor outcome in the long run. A recent study commissioned by the NFL Players Care Foundation demonstrated that there was marked cognitive impairment not only among the retirees but also those players who were less than 50 years of age. For many years, the long term health consequences of playing in the NFL were neglected and now the league has decided to learn more about its retired players. The plan is to respond to the medical and physical needs of retired players.
The survey looked at 1000 retired players and collected information by telephone interview on a wide range of physical and mental health disorders. In cases where the player was unable to give a history, family or proxy was selected. Dr. Weir’s study demonstrated that the rates of dementia were quite high among retired footballers and some degree of dementia was even seen in footballers younger than age 50.
Following these news, the NFL players association announced the debut of a Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. The plan is to promote ways to make an early diagnosis, treatment and prevent concussion/traumatic brain injuries in active players. There are also plans to evaluate more players and follow them for a long term period to determine if there is any correlation between head trauma and dementia later in life.
Said the NFLs executive director, DeMaurice Smith, in a news release, “This committee was designed to bring both independence and expertise to the ongoing analysis of serious head injuries so we can better protect our players,”
The recent survey was only a cross sectional analysis and did not establish a direct relationship between dementia and football/head trauma. However, this study does raise more questions and warrants additional study to determine if any such relationship exists. This study could have inferences beyond the NFL- what happens to head injuries suffered by athletes at high school and/or college level football? Do head injuries occurring at such a young age need follow up and what is the treatment?
Says Dr Weir who undertook the study, “”Dementia is much more difficult to report in surveys in part because it affects the respondent’s ability to participate,” he further added that “We conducted interviews with a proxy reporter — generally the wife — of the players who were unable to answer for themselves. We did not administer cognitive tests and did not conduct neurological examinations.”
It has been known for some time that the most common complaints among retired NFL payers are development of arthritis and muscle/joint pain. While it may sound like playing for the NFL is all bad news, there is some good news. The survey indicated that these players also have much fewer heart attacks and strokes then non-sporting men of comparable age.
