Editor's Choice Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Alzheimer's / Dementia Article Date: 06 Sep 2012 - 3:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Professional Football Players Have Higher ALS And Alzheimer's Death Risks

The scientists gathered data on 3,439 ex-professional football players, average age 57 years, who had played during at least five seasons from 1959 to 1988 for the National Football League. They searched through all the death certificates, specifically looking out for deaths caused by ALS, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. When the study was ongoing, 10% of the ex-footballers had died.

The team discovered that professional football players:

Everett J. Lehman said:

A brain autopsy is necessary to diagnose CTE and distinguish it from Alzheimer's or ALS. While CTE is a separate diagnosis, the symptoms are often similar to those found in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS, and can occur as the result of multiple concussions."

The authors pointed out one limitation in their study; the small number of deaths they assessed.

Researchers from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, DC, found that collegiate football players have a much higher risk of sustaining head injuries and concussion than the rest of the population.

A two-year study carried out by scientists from Purdue University indicated that concussions among high school football players are probably caused by several hits over time, rather than one single blow to the head.

Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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Professional Football Players Have Higher ALS And Alzheimer's Death Risks