A Harvard University survey reveals that one-third of former professional football players believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by concussions and repeated head hits. The study, published in JAMA Neurology, is one of the largest to date on former NFL players‘ perceptions of their cognitive health and symptoms linked to CTE.Out of 1,980 respondents, 681 believed they had CTE, while over 230 had experienced suicidal thoughts and 176 had a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
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A study reveals that former professional football players have CTE
A new study finds that nearly one-third of former NFL players think they have brain damage from playing football, inflicting tremendous damage on their lives. Nearly one-third of nearly 2,000 retired NFL players believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma, according to a study published Thursday in JAMA Neurology. Players who suspect they may have CTE describe having more difficulties with brain function, low testosterone, depression, and chronic pain than players without a suspicion. Additionally, one-quarter of players who suspected they had CTE reported having thoughts or behaviors of suicide.
NFL retirees with chronic traumatic encephalopathy are about twice as likely to report that they have thoughts of suicide many times during a couple of weeks, even after adjusting for symptoms of depression. That fear may be associated with the risk of a long decline in mental function, as is seen in other incurable brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease, in relation to high rates of suicide.
“As complex human beings, our beliefs can exert a strong impact on our health,” said researcher Dr. Ross Zafonte, chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “The symptoms that raise CTE concerns are real and CTE concerns are valid, but it’s critical to understand that having persistent fears about this condition can take a toll on mental health,” Zafonte added in a hospital news release.
“Many conditions common to former NFL players such as sleep apnea, low testosterone, high blood pressure and chronic pain can cause problems with thinking, memory and concentration,” said lead investigator Rachel Grashow, a research scientist with the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
“While we wait for advances in CTE research to better address living players’ experiences, it is imperative that we identify conditions that are treatable,” Grashow added. “These efforts may reduce the chances that players will prematurely attribute symptoms to CTE which may lead to hopelessness and thoughts of self-harm.”
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