A recent study published on Friday found that elite players are more prone than the general population to develop dementia. The Lancet published details of the study, which compared the medical records of over 6,000 male footballers in Sweden’s top division to over 56,000 non-footballers between 1924 and 2019. Footballers were 1.5 times more likely than the control group to get Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, according to researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet.
According to Peter Ueda of Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, who led the study, elite male players are in “severe danger” of acquiring degenerative brain problems. Goalkeepers were an exception since they rarely needed to head the ball. An exception was goalkeepers, who rarely need to head the ball.
“One hypothesis is that the repetitive striking of the ball with the head is the reason players are at greater risk, and seeing the difference between goalkeepers and outfield players supports this theory,” Ueda said.
Ueda emphasized that the observational study could not prove that playing football caused dementia
Gill Livingston, professor of psychiatry of the elderly at the University Of London, said the “high-quality work” adds to “convincing evidence” that footballers whose heads come into touch with the ball are more likely to develop dementia. “We need to act to protect people’s heads and brains so they can continue to play sports,” added Livingston, who was not involved in the study.
The study discovered no higher risk of motor neuron illnesses such as ALS in football players, and a little lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. Ueda emphasized that the observational study could not prove that playing football caused dementia and that its findings could not be extrapolated to female, amateur, or child football players.
“There are more and more voices pushing for the sport to implement more safeguards to protect brain health, and our findings may aid when making risk-management decisions,” Ueda noted. Research on sports-related head injuries and post-career adverse effects has recently surged, particularly in rugby and American football.
The NFL now has a concussion protocol in place for games
A study performed by the University of Glasgow last year discovered that former rugby players were 15 times more likely than the general population to suffer motor neuron disease. A 2017 Boston University study discovered that all but one of 111 deceased former National Football League players whose brains were donated for research had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE develops as a result of multiple brain injuries and can cause behavioral problems as well as long-term dementia.
The NFL now has a concussion protocol in place for games. It says the protocol is reviewed yearly to ensure that players receive care that reflects the most up-to-date medical consensus on the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of concussions.
