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Former NFL players at increased risk for neurodegenerative mortality
Former professional football players had a fourfold chance of mortality from Alzheimer’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis than the general US population in a study.
Researchers analyzed neurodegenerative causes of death among 3,439 former National Football League players who participated in the sport for at least 5 pension-credited seasons between 1959 and 1988. Of 334 players who died as of Dec. 31, 2007, seven had dementia/Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and seven had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Everett J. Lehman
The cohort was subdivided into nonspeed players (linemen, n=1,166); and speed players, all other positions (n=2,145) except punters/kickers (n=128). Standardized rate ratios (SRRs) were used to compare nonspeed and speed player positions; the player cohort and US population were compared by using standardized mortality rates (SMR).
Overall player mortality from all causes was lower than that of the US population (SMR=0.53; 95% CI, 0.48-0.59). Researchers found, however, the players exhibited an SMR of 2.83 (95% CI, 1.36-5.21) for all neurodegenerative underlying causes of death, including AD, ALS and Parkinson’s disease, compared with the US population. Multiple causes of death showed players at a similar increased risk (SMR=3.26; 95% CI, 1.90-5.22).
In assessing neurodegenerative multiple causes of death, player data indicated elevated results for ALS (SMR=4.31; 95% CI, 1.73-8.87) and AD (SMR=3.86; 95% CI, 1.55-7.95) compared with the general population. Speed position players displayed greater risk for neurodegenerative mortality (SRR=3.29, 95% CI, 0.92-11.7) than nonspeed positions.
“Speed players are able to build up considerable momentum prior to the point of being tackled or tackling another player, accelerations that result in an increased risk of sustaining a concussion at impact,” researcher Everett J. Lehman, MS, deputy director, division of surveillance, hazard evaluations and field studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, told Healio.com.
“We cannot infer that the results … are directly relevant to younger professional players or to college and high school players. However, other research studies have concluded that there is a strong connection between sub-concussive/concussive blows to the head and the development of neurodegenerative disease among football players and players of other contact sports.”