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Does Playing Football In Childhood Cause Dementia?

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Posted on Wed, 12 Mar 2014
Question: Do you know of many cases of footballers being diagnosed with dementia in Australia due to bad concussions in their younger days playing football? Also is there any information that I can read on this as well?
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Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (3 hours later)
Brief Answer: Please find detailed answer below Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX bolzicco, Thanks for writing in to us. While there are many reasons for decline in cognition and dementia in the middle age, repeated low intensity head trauma as in playing football has been researched as one of the factors. The research data is controversial and the latest research studies show that the changes are reversible once a person stops playing football and the risk for development of dementia in such people is not higher than the general population once they stop playing football. The article is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine January 2014. You may like to read the abstract of the research article at the link below WWW.WWWW.WW I did find an article on football and brain damage in Australia published in Medical Journal of Australia 2012 Please find the article using link below WWW.WWWW.WW au/system/files/issues/196_09_210512/kay10539_fm.pdf This article says that brain damage must be carefully assessed in this group and a proper family history of psychiatric problems is essential. I think further clinical evaluation and an MRI scan of the brain may help in assessment of the dementia in detail. Hope your query is answered. Do write back if you have doubts. Regards, Dr.Vivek
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Vivek Chail

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Practicing since :2002

Answered : 6874 Questions

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Does Playing Football In Childhood Cause Dementia?

Brief Answer: Please find detailed answer below Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX bolzicco, Thanks for writing in to us. While there are many reasons for decline in cognition and dementia in the middle age, repeated low intensity head trauma as in playing football has been researched as one of the factors. The research data is controversial and the latest research studies show that the changes are reversible once a person stops playing football and the risk for development of dementia in such people is not higher than the general population once they stop playing football. The article is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine January 2014. You may like to read the abstract of the research article at the link below WWW.WWWW.WW I did find an article on football and brain damage in Australia published in Medical Journal of Australia 2012 Please find the article using link below WWW.WWWW.WW au/system/files/issues/196_09_210512/kay10539_fm.pdf This article says that brain damage must be carefully assessed in this group and a proper family history of psychiatric problems is essential. I think further clinical evaluation and an MRI scan of the brain may help in assessment of the dementia in detail. Hope your query is answered. Do write back if you have doubts. Regards, Dr.Vivek