NFL and Alzheimers

If there is one thing I love, it is NFL football. I’ve watched it since childhood and my husband happens to be a football fanatic for both college and the NFL, so my love for it has only grown. But one interesting and saddening fact I learned recently, is that Alzheimers has affected many former NFL football players.

A recent study ordered by the NFL on players, found that dementia appears to be significantly more common among NFL players. This isn’t the first time a study was done to show a correlation between football injuries and dementia. However , it is the first of its kind regarding NFL players in particular. The University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research found that 6.1 % of former  players over the age of 50 had been diagnosed with a form of dementia. This is 5 times higher than then national average of 1.2%.  Younger players (30 to 49 years) had a rate of 1.9 %, which is 19 times that of the national average of 0.1 %.

How does this happen?

Based on the studies, it’s clear that there is a relationship between concussions and the later onset of Dementia.  Unfortunately, concussions are common among school-age players, and  according to a study conducted by Ohio State University and published in August 2009, 11.6 % of the injuries suffered by high school students who play sports are concussions. A total of 13,755 injuries were reported during the 2005 through 2008 academic years, with football players experiencing the highest rate of recurrent injuries.*Source:Emax Health

What does this mean for future players?

What the NFL decides to do at this point is questionable, perhaps reinforcing helmets? Who knows. But, the facts are clear. This is something that can’t be ignored much longer.

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