Dementia and football injuries

[Whisperin' Jimmy]

This is a distrubing article in today's New York Times about ex-NFL players suffering dementia far too early in life for it to be mere coincidence.

I note the league and players' union deny any link between football-related head injuries and early-onset Alzheimer's. On the other hand, these two guys played beside one another on the o-line of the 1972 Chargers, and now they can't remember each other or feed themselves.

NY Times dementia article

Does the CFL do any better in providing for ex-players in need? If not, I certainly can see why Murphy is intent on squeezing every nickle for the risks he seems to be running!

[TheLionKing]

That is sad. It's good that the league is cracking down on hitting with the head.

[Tighthead]

Andre "Dirty" Waters, an ex-Eagles safety, committed suicide earlier this year. Apparently he had terrible headache and mental health issues, which may be related to concussions.

I sometimes worry that my many rugby years will affect my golden years...

[squishy35]

I note the league and players' union deny any link between football-related head injuries and early-onset Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's disease is directly related to plaque forming on areas of the brain due to an excessive amount of prions in an individual's overall chemical make up. AFAIK there is no correlation between head injuries and the early onset of Alzheimer's.

[Tighthead]

This is also a good example of a player's union not really caring about the health of its members, or past members. Of course, the NFLPA is pretty toothless....

[Whisperin' Jimmy]

AFAIK there is no correlation between head injuries and the early onset of Alzheimer's.

I can't pretend to be any expert on the medical aspects. Presumably I should have referred to dementia rather than the specific diagnosis of Alzheimer's. I used the phrasing I did because of this bit in the article:

"In January, a neuropathologist who examined the brain of Andre Waters, the former Philadelphia Eagles player who committed suicide last fall at 44, said that repeated concussions had led to Mr. Waters?s brain tissue resembling that of an 80-year-old with Alzheimer?s disease. And last month, the doctors of the former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, 34, said he was exhibiting the depression and memory lapses associated with oncoming Alzheimer?s."

[Toppy Vann]

This is sad information for the people and their families. I'd like to see more study of this type of thing in football and to know whether there is a higher incidence of dementia and other related issues in football players than the general population.

I doubt the NFL or anyone would be currently tracking the longitudinal impacts of head injuries on former players. This would be a very interesting study if someone could get funding to undertake such a major review of medical histories of current and former players and look at the incidence of dementia in this group when compared to the general population.

There could well be some causal relationships between head injuries and these two former players and their dementia or simply a sad coincidence that it has struck former teammates.

[TheLionKing]

Has any study been done on former NHL players who played their entire career without helmets ?

[Blitz]

There could well be some causal relationships between head injuries and these two former players and their dementia or simply a sad coincidence that it has struck former teammates.

I'm just relieved that concussions are treated more seriously now...however any player that has had more than one concussion really needs to recognize that there could be long term effects.

I've had four...it's why I write so much!!

[lion24]

i think part of the problem with hockey is that the equipment has become too good the elbow pads are like body armor and an elbow to the head can cause a concussion. also, players have become bigger and faster and the ice surface is no bigger so you have more violent collisions. of course a lot of concussions were not even dealt with in the earlier days of the nhl because no one bothered to even get checked out without athletic trainers, doctors etc. but i think with less body armor and helmets players were more respectful to not stick swing at each other and hit from behind. although i am sure rocket richard and anyone one the wrong side of gordie howe's elbow would tell you different :x

[pinkfreud]

[Alzheimer's disease is directly related to plaque forming on areas of the brain due to an excessive amount of prions in an individual's overall chemical make up. AFAIK there is no correlation between head injuries and the early onset of Alzheimer's.

There is data that suggests head injury early in life (mainly moderate to severe injury, not mild) is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's and other dementias later in life. There's a gene called APOE 4, which is linked to an increased risk for late-onset Alzheimer's. Some researchers think that where a person has the APOE 4 gene, experiencing a head injury may somehow interact with that gene (either additively or synergistically) to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

As for early-onset dementia in general, my understanding is that head trauma is generally recognized as a highly probable causal factor. However, the football leagues could always use the same argument the tobacco companies do to avoid liability when they get sued for the effects of smoking - that you can't prove causation, just association. The leagues could question whether it was caused by other factors such as alcohol and viral infections. The other thing is, the player's medical history of head injuries would have to be well documented and accessible. Otherwise, you'd be relying on second hand accounts of the player's injury history (from wives or friends or teammates) which makes it even harder to prove your case.

It would be interesting to study head injuries x dementia among football players, but something tells me the leagues aren't going to be interested in funding them!

[ophelia]

Perhaps Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) could be a reasonable suggestion. OBS is a common diagnosis in the elderly but it is not an inevitable part of aging. OBS is not a separate disease entity, but is a general term used to categorize physical conditions that can cause mental changes.
Dementia of the Alzheimer's type is associated with OBS along with other non reversible dementia's, as well as Trauma-induced brain injurys such as a Concussion.

[pinkfreud]

Perhaps Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) could be a reasonable suggestion. OBS is a common diagnosis in the elderly but it is not an inevitable part of aging. OBS is not a separate disease entity, but is a general term used to categorize physical conditions that can cause mental changes.
Dementia of the Alzheimer's type is associated with OBS along with other non reversible dementia's, as well as Trauma-induced brain injurys such as a Concussion.

The article suggests they've been diagnosed specifically with frontal temporal dementia in one case and Alzheimer's-type dementia in the other (which of course would fall under the general category of OBS).

[Lionut]

If you have ever seen the helmets used by players back in the day, you'll understand why concussion related issues were so prevalent. I can remember my first football helmet for Grade 8 football in the late 70s -- it was one of those "suspension" helmets, with no actual padding on the inside. I can remember cutting up some old foam from my dad's army supplies, and stuffing it in the top of the helmet to give it some padding. Combine that with the fact that concussion symptoms weren't managed at all back then, and it's not surprising some players are having ongoing problems. (There is actually a good piece in the National Post today, talking about former Crazy Canuck Dave Irwin and the problems he has had in coming back from a serious brain injury.)

Hopefully, this problem can be managed in the future through better concussion management protocol, and better helmets. You will see many players now wearing the new concussion-resistant helmets that come down further into the jaw area, and seem to have a slightly bigger ridge, if you will, on the top. I know in our minor football association, we all take courses on how to properly fit our kids' helmets as well. (Left on their own, the kids will choose helmets that fit too big, which is actually worse than ones that are too small.)

[rb]

Mike Webster was an All-Pro centre with the Steelers in the 70's. Terry Bradshaw said he was the smartest guy on the team and one of the most respected because of his level-headedness. He died a couple of years ago-- divorced, homeless, living out of his car, because of dementia. Let's hope that people start taking this matter seriously and ensuring that the former players are properly cared for.