The neurological damage suffered by American football players has consequences: behavioral and mood disorders, premature dementia, etc.
The protections are not enough. While watching an American football game, certain contacts between players are so violent that one begins to wonder if they will be able to get up. They usually do, but these shocks leave their mark.
There are classic injuries (fractures, sprains) or sometimes more serious (paralysis), but also brain damage. The health of former players has been discussed for many years between the American Football League (NFL), players and doctors. And if retirees do not seem to have a reduced life expectancy, they would instead suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathies (CTE).
A study from Boston University (United States) published in the JAMA has just objectified the extent of the brain damage that these athletes undergo. Scientists have analyzed the state of the brains of 202 former American football players who have evolved for an average of 15 years at different levels, amateurs and professionals. These people had donated their bodies to science, specifically for the risk assessment of the sport.
Almost 100% of pro players affected
And the results are edifying. Among the 202 brains, 177 showed signs of CTE, or 87%! And the more the players had evolved at a high level, the more this percentage was important. Among those who only played in high school, CTEs are found in “only” 21% of cases. Among university players, the figure is already climbing to 91%.
But it is among the American elite players (NFL) that the figures are the most striking: out of 111 analyzed, they are 110 to show signs of brain damage, that is to say more than 99%.
These players are both more often, but also more severely affected. About 86% of the 110 professional players had “severe” brain damage, compared to 56% of college players, the researchers report.
Visible symptoms
By questioning the entourage of former players, the researchers were able to link these CTEs to clinical attacks. Among gamers with severe CTE, nearly nine in ten had mood or behavior disturbances, 95% had cognitive decline, including problems with concentration, and 85% had signs of dementia, despite an average age of 66-year-old death.
Dementia, as well as Parkinson’s disease, are believed to be responsible for death in nearly one in two cases.
A significant statistical bias
The authors recognize a significant bias in their study, which undoubtedly inflates these figures. The brains on which it relies were donated as part of a program studying the links between head trauma and CTE. Players with signs of brain damage and their families are therefore surely over-represented.
But the study has the merit of showing that a link exists, and that it is associated with the level of practice. It will support the fight of doctors and former sick players to have the risks of their profession recognized, and to improve prevention.
The NFL wants to be reassuring
“The medical and scientific community will benefit from this study and the NFL will continue to work with many experts to improve the health of league athletes,” said Brian McCarthy, its spokesperson. As the authors point out, there are still many questions about the cause, frequency and lasting effects of brain trauma ”.
For several years, the NFL has taken a closer look at these issues, especially following a complaint from former players. The league has protocols in place to deal with suspected concussion cases during matches, under the supervision of independent doctors. A measure which has also been taken up for rugby matches in Europe.
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