Posted on 03/17/2023 5:09:07 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Dementia Risk Higher for Elite Soccer Players — Is heading the ball to blame? by Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today March 16, 2023
Share on Facebook. Opens in a new tab or window Share on Twitter. Opens in a new tab or window Share on LinkedIn. Opens in a new tab or window email article A photo of a header by Dayot Upamecano of France above Mitchell Duke of Australia during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Men who played elite soccer were more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases -- notably, dementia -- as they aged, a study in Sweden showed.
The risk of neurodegenerative disease was 46% higher among soccer players who played in the Swedish top division than in the general population (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.33-1.60), according to Peter Ueda, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and co-authors.
Alzheimer's disease and dementia were 62% more common among soccer players than controls (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.47-1.78), the researchers reported in Lancet Public Healthopens in a new tab or window.
Goalkeepers did not have an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease but outfield players did, suggesting repetitive hits from heading the ball may be a factor.
"In contrast to outfield players, goalkeepers rarely head the ball," Ueda told MedPage Today. "Although other factors that differ by football player position could also affect this difference, the finding lends support to the hypothesis that heading the ball may increase the risk of dementia."
A previous study in Scotland showed that neurodegenerative disease mortalityopens in a new tab or window among former professional soccer players was about 3.5 times higher than the general population.
More recently, the Scotland research team reported that neurodegenerative disease risk in former soccer players was associated with field position and career lengthopens in a new tab or window, indicating a higher risk with cumulative exposure to outfield positions.
"The fact that this well-conducted study replicates prior research on football players in Scotland should convince skeptics that the connection between heading and dementia is real and preventable," said Chris Nowinski, PhD, of the Concussion Legacy Foundation in Boston, who wasn't involved with the study.
"We need to take steps to minimize risk by increasing the age at which children begin heading, and then take steps to reduce the frequency and magnitude of headers," Nowinski told MedPage Today.
"The Football Association in England is leading the conversation on age of first exposure by eliminating heading before age 12," Nowinski pointed out.
"Other countries should match that policy, and I anticipate the age will increase as people begin to realize the benefits of fewer concussions in children and CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] cases in football players," he added. "Once heading is introduced, sports organizations need to set strict limits, especially on higher magnitude impacts."
Ueda's research team studied health records of 6,007 male soccer players who played in the Swedish top division Allsvenskan from 1924 through 2019, comparing them with 56,168 matched controls from the general Swedish population.
Over an average follow-up time of 28 years, 8.9% of elite soccer athletes and 6.2% of controls were diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease. A total of 8.2% of soccer players developed Alzheimer's disease or dementia, compared with 5.1% of men in the general population.
The risk of motor neuron disease, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was similar among players and non-players. Parkinson's disease was less common among soccer players (HR 0.68, 95% 0.52-0.89) than the general population, and death from any cause was slightly lower.
The lower overall mortality could indicate that elite soccer players have better overall health and physical fitness than the general population, observed study co-author Björn Pasternak, MD, PhD, also of the Karolinska Institute.
"Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of dementia, so it could be hypothesized that the potential risks from head impacts are being somewhat offset by having good physical fitness," Pasternak said. "Good physical fitness may also be the reason behind the lower risk of Parkinson's disease."
The research shows an association between dementia and elite soccer, not cause-and-effect, Ueda emphasized.
"Even if we would have perfect data on causality, what to do with it is a matter of values and a decision for the broader community and individual players to make," he said. "Our study provides data that could support such decision-making."
"I think it is important to emphasize that these findings are based on elite players who were active mostly during the mid-20th century," Ueda added. "Their applicability to contemporary elite players and to amateur and youth players is uncertain."
Rush was right about the terrible dangers of soccer.
This is not surprising, given that repeated head-to-ball contact will — over time — take its toll.
Dying suddenly is also higher in elite soccer players.
Soccer fans too, I suspect.
I played soccer from college to my 50’s. Not in an elite class but on blood thinners I suffered with a brain hematoma. Doctors thought there had to be some head trauma but there wasn’t, but there was the soccer. They told me that soccer could not have caused the bleed, so maybe just the blood thinners?
Any thing that causes repeated head trauma causes problems in the long run.
Not sure why this would surprise anyone.
It’s not called “communist football” for nothing.
Bouncing a ball off your head is trauma? I see kiss getting hit on their head Hardee than that all the time.
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