Repetitive Head Impacts Increases the Hazard of Death Among NFL Players
Researchers assessed whether exposure to repetitive head impacts during a professional football career was associated with an increased in the risk for all-cause mortality.
Researchers assessed whether exposure to repetitive head impacts during a professional football career was associated with an increased in the risk for all-cause mortality.
An increase in repetitive head impacts is associated with an increased hazard of death among National Football League players.
Former American-style football players report clinician-diagnosed CTE, and they have significantly more comorbidities and cognitive impairment symptoms.
The risk and severity of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) increase with the number of years playing American football.
White matter rarefaction, arteriolosclerosis, and dorsolateral frontal cortex neurofibrillary tangles are independently associated with dementia among older men who played football and had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Detecting CTE in the brains of living individuals could improve our understanding of the disease and inform research regarding prevention and treatment.
American football players frequently have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, with age-related evolution in CTE-related ptau pathology.
While epilepsy-related head trauma was common, 9 of 10 patients displayed no evidence of CTE.
The findings suggest that [F-18]FDDNP-PET imaging can be used to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy in at-risk patients.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that shows a strong connection between pathological findings of CTE and athletes who suffer repeated head trauma.