Former pro football players are much more likely than average to die from brain diseases, a study finds. The study was done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It was based on a 1994 study of 3,439 former NFL players. All had spent at least 5 seasons in the league. Researchers looked at death certificates for 334 players who died. They were 3 times as likely as the general public to die of diseases that damage the brain. Seven had Alzheimer's disease. Seven had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, often called Lou Gehrig's disease). Death rates from those 2 diseases were 4 times average. Death rates from Parkinson's disease were average. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease long known to occur in boxers, has also been found recently in the brains of deceased NFL players. It is believed to be caused by repeated concussions. CTE symptoms can mimic Alz heimer's, Parkinson's or ALS. The new study could not say if any players who died had CTE. The condition can be found only on an autopsy. The researchers had to rely on death certificates. The journal Neurology published the study online September 5. USA Today wrote about it.
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