Football and Dementia Risk: Mortality From Neurodegenerative Disease Higher in Former Professional Soccer Players (BBC News / Drake Foundation / NEJM / Bazian)

Summary

The Football’s InfluencE on Lifelong health and Dementia risk (FIELD) study, based at Glasgow University and supported by The Football Association and The Professional Footballers’ Association, found that former Scottish professional football players tend to be over 3.5 times more like to die with dementia, and over 5 times more likely to die with Alzheimer’s Disease, than the general population. Mortality with Parkinson’s Disease is 2 times higher in ex-players.

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Reference

Dementia in football: Ex-players three and a half times more likely to die of condition. London: BBC Sport / BBC Health News, October 21^st 2019.

See also:

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Reference

Football and dementia: former players over five times more likely to die of Alzheimer’s, says landmark study. [Online]: Drake Foundation, October 21^st 2019.

This relates to:

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Reference

Mackay, DF. Russell, ER. [and] Stewart, K. [et al] (2019). Neurodegenerative disease mortality among former professional soccer players. New England Journal of Medicine. October 21^st 2019. [Epub ahead of print].

Further comment / analysis:

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Reference

Dementia fears for former footballers. London: NHS Digital Behind the Headlines, October 22^nd 2019.

There is a list of related Glasgow Brain Injury Research Group publications.

The SCORES Study: Screening Cognitive Outcomes after REpetitive head impact in Sport

The SCORES project (also known as the Scores Study) has been designed to help understand changes in the cognitive health of former professional football players as they age. Researchers at the University of East Anglia will use a suite of online memory, attention and spatial-awareness tests to check ex-footballer’s mental performance every six months.

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Reference

Ex-footballers urged to sign up for early dementia tests. London: BBC Health News, January 7^th 2020.

“The SCORES Project is a research study being conducted in connection with the Concussion Action Programme with the UEA Health and Social Care Partners”.

A BBC News “Explainer”:

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Reference

Dementia: Does heading a football cause the disease? London: BBC Health News, January 16^th 2020.

Pragmatic precautions?

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Reference

McLaughlin, C. (2020). Scottish FA expected to ban children heading footballs within weeks. London: BBC Health News / BBC Scotland News, January 16^th 2020.

Anecdotal

Sue Lopez, ex-female football player, blames her dementia on years of heading the ball:

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Reference

Newbery, A. (2020). Ex-England women’s footballer blames dementia on heading. London: BBC Health News / BBC Hampshire and Isle of Wight News, January 20^th 2020.