Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
(Health Day)
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) — While many football fans fondly remember Rick Arrington as quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1970 to 1973, his daughter’s memory is that her father I am tainted by years of watching you suffer from terminal chronic trauma. Encephalopathy (CTE).
A degenerative brain disease found in athletes, veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma, CTE causes depression, suicidal ideation, aggression, and mood swings. Ultimately, people may have trouble thinking and remembering, and may eventually develop dementia. It is believed that
At a recent donation to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, she spoke for the first time about her father’s illness. Sportscaster Jill Arrington She said she doesn’t like watching football anymore.
“When I see players’ heads smashed on the field, I see my father’s face with tears begging me to end the misery. The strongest man I know I see you struggling to sleep for months…and you can’t make a simple cell phone. she said to the crowd.
Although he had no history of concussion, Arlington told her father I have suffered from CTE for over 35 years. “His life was cut short by the sport he loved,” she lamented.
Researchers at the Boston University CTE Center recently announced that they had diagnosed CTE in the brains of 345 of the 376 NFL players (91.7%) they studied. Arlington was among them.
In contrast, a 2018 Boston University study of 164 donated brains found 1 (0.6%) with CTE. His one case of CTE was a former college football player.
NFL player data does not necessarily mean that 9 out of 10 current and former NFL players have CTE. The exact number is unknown, as the condition can only be definitively diagnosed by postmortem brain autopsy.
Brains with CTE show an accumulation of a protein called tau around blood vessels.
“The risk of CTE doubles every 2.6 years at any level of football, and the longer the playing time and the higher the level, the higher the risk,” he said. Dr. Anne McKee, He is Director of the Boston University (BU) CTE Center and Director of Neuropathology for the VA Boston Health Care System. She also directs her UNITE Brain Bank, the world’s largest tissue repository focused on CTE and traumatic brain injury.
The new research 2017 research As a result, the UNITE brain bank detected CTE in 99% of the brains of NFL players, 91% of college football players, and 21% of high school football players.
“Now, five years later, we have even more [brains]”We are still seeing more than 90% of NFL players affected,” McKee said. “Public interest in CTE has waxed and waned, but the problem persists.”
Something needs to change, she said.
“We’re seeing a lot of cases of CTE in the Brainbank population, which shows that we need to do something soon, and we’re still sitting back.
Prevention efforts, such as changing the rules of the game and allowing children to start tackle sports at a much later age, she noted.
“We also need better diagnostic techniques to diagnose this condition in our lifetimes,” McKee said.
Researchers are also looking for new ways to treat CTE and stem its consequences, she added.
“Being able to label what’s going on is helpful because the symptoms are very helpless and not knowing the cause makes people feel helpless,” McKee said.
She urged anyone who has played contact sports and is currently experiencing potential CTE symptoms to see a doctor.
“You may be suffering from early stages of CTE. We can do something to improve it.
McKee and her colleagues are asking former athletes to participate in research studies to learn how to diagnose and treat CTE.
“Come forward,” she said.
Chris Nowinski He has made it his life’s mission to fight concussions. He is the co-founder and CEO of his Concussion Legacy Foundation in Boston.
“this [research] “It suggests that success in football the way we’ve been playing is likely to lead to CTE,” he said. I know it’s a blow to
Nowinski said CTE is much more prevalent than once thought. Help is available and can treat many CTE symptoms.
In terms of prevention, you should consider changing the game rules. According to Nowinski, the Stop Hitting Kids in the Head campaign advocates that no one should engage in sports until the age of 14.
He said there is still a lot to learn about CTE. Dr. Frederick Solimana physician in sports medicine at the Orlando Health-Jewette Orthopedic Institute in Florida.
“We first recognized it on a brain biopsy, but are now backtracking to determine the cause.
Genetics, substance abuse, or other factors can make a person more likely to develop CTE, Soliman said.
“Given all people who play contact sports, very few people develop CTE, so other factors must be involved,” he said.
The BU CTE Center, which released the findings, said the findings will be published soon. In part due to his advances in CTE research, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke recently updated its position on the causes of CTE.
The BUCTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation are recruiting former football players and other contact sports athletes. 5 studies.
Sources: Ann McKee, MD, Director, Boston University CTE Center, Chief, Neuropathology, VA Boston Health Care System, Director, UNITE Brain Bank, Boston; Chris Nowinski, PhD, Concussion Legacy Foundation, Co-founder of Boston CEO. Frederick Soliman, DO, MS, Physician in Sports Medicine, Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute, Florida.Boston University, News Release, February 6, 2023
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