Study estimates 75% of NFL players who died over 15-year span had CTE
NBC News • • sports
Key Points:
- A new study published in JAMA Network Open estimates that about 75% of professional football players who died over a 15-year period showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), tripling previous estimates.
- The research combined data from 396 donated brains and national death records of nearly 2,000 former NFL players, adjusting for bias since families of symptomatic players are more likely to donate brains.
- While 93% of donated brains showed CTE signs, only about 27% of the studied players were estimated to have dementia, indicating not all with CTE develop symptoms.
- CTE can only be diagnosed post-mortem, posing challenges for accurate prevalence assessment and treatment, highlighting the need for diagnostic tools for living individuals.
- Experts emphasize prevention by reducing head impacts and concussions in football as the best current strategy to lower CTE risk.
