articleNeurosurgeryOct 1, 2005Closed access

Association between Recurrent Concussion and Late-Life Cognitive Impairment in Retired Professional Football Players

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · West Virginia University · +6 more institutions

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Abstract

Objective

Cerebral concussion is common in collision sports such as football, yet the chronic neurological effects of recurrent concussion are not well understood. The purpose of our study was to investigate the association between previous head injury and the likelihood of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease in a unique group of retired professional football players with previous head injury exposure.

Methods

A general health questionnaire was completed by 2552 retired professional football players with an average age of 53.8 (+/-13.4) years and an average professional football playing career of 6.6 (+/- 3.6) years. A second questionnaire focusing on memory and issues related to MCI was then completed by a subset of 758 retired professional football players (> or = 50 yr of age). Results on MCI were then cross-tabulated with results from the original health questionnaire for this subset of older retirees.

Citation impact

1,010
total citations
FWCI
7.93
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100%
References
44
Citations per year

Authors

7

Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Concussion
  • Football
  • Medicine
  • Football players
  • Physical therapy
  • Head injury
  • Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
  • Association (psychology)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Good health and well-being
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