August 29th 2023.
A new study conducted by the Boston University CTE Center has revealed that 40% of youth, high school, and college athletes diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) died before the age of 30. This is the largest case of athletes who died young studied to date, and was published this week in JAMA Neurology.
The study examined 152 brains that were donated, 62 of which were diagnosed with CTE. The donors died between 2008 and 2022, and their ages at the time of death ranged from 13 to 29. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE is a brain disorder in which repeated blows to the head cause the death of nerve cells in the brain. The disorder currently can only be diagnosed posthumously.
Dr. Ann McKee, lead author on the study and director of the BU CTE Center, told ESPN, “The fact that over 40% of young contact and collision sport athletes in the UNITE brain bank have CTE is remarkable, considering that studies of community brain banks show that fewer than 1% of the general population has CTE.”
The most common cause of death among the athletes studied was suicide, although research showed no relationship between the cause of death and the presence of the condition. Additionally, there wasn’t a significant difference in symptoms between those diagnosed with the disorder and those who weren’t. Symptoms such as depression and apathy were reported in nearly 70% of the athletes in the study, despite 59% of the brains studied not having CTE.
The majority of the athletes in the study were football players, and a small number played hockey and soccer. Moreover, the scientists in the study also diagnosed the disorder in the first American female athlete, an anonymous 28-year soccer player, showing an emerging trend of female athletes being diagnosed with the disorder.
Notable NFL players diagnosed with CTE include Junior Seau, Jovan Belcher, Ken Stabler, and Andre Waters. The brain disorder was discovered by Dr. Bennet Omalu.
Overall, the results of this study emphasize that contact sport athletes with symptoms do not necessarily have CTE. This is a crucial point to consider, as it can help athletes and coaches take the necessary precautions to ensure safe play and prevent brain injuries.
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