Repeated head trauma can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy, an incurable brain disease, according to a new study that found a causal link between the two for the first time.
Evidence of CTE has long been noticed in boxers over the last century, although discussions have been renewed in recent years due to diagnoses in professional athletes. Athletes in contact sports are 68 times more likely to develop the brain disease than those in the general public, according to the study, prompting experts to urge sports and governmental bodies to enforce prevention measures, particularly for children.
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“It is time to include repetitive head impacts and CTE among child protection efforts like exposure to lead, mercury, smoking, and sunburns,” said Adam Finkel, co-author of the new study by nine universities and the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
CTE most often occurs in contact sports such as football or rugby, but it also has been linked to soccer players in recent years. The disease garnered headlines after two U.S. athletes, football player Demaryius Thomas and soccer player Scott Vermillion, were diagnosed with CTE after their deaths.
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Several sports associations have already made moves to prevent head impacts for athletes. The English Football Association has already banned children’s soccer teams from allowing headers in practices, and officials announced they would seek to extend that ban to games as well.
Rugby players in several European countries have also announced legal action against World Rugby, alleging the association failed to protect athletes from permanent injury caused by repeated head trauma.
