Examining the football-dementia connection

A study that came out in fall 2009 was important because it showed that NFL players suffer dementia at rates vastly higher than those of the general population--including 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30 to 49. It was the first "evidence" showing what the NFL had long denied: that of cognitive decline among its players.

The study was from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Researchers surveyed 1,063 retired players and found that incidence of heart disease was lower, but incidence of arthritis was higher. Noting study limitations, they also found a significantly higher incidence of dementia.

Here's the New York Times story about the study, and a followup story criticizing the study.

Here's a copy of the study.

"We conducted some interviews with a 'proxy reporter,' generally the wife, of some players who are unable to answer for themselves. We did not administer cognitive tests and did not conduct neurological examinations. The only information we collected about dementia was to ask the respondent (or proxy) if they had ever been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other memory-related disease. Diseases of memory are rare, but NFL retirees report higher rates," wrote researchers David R. Weir, James S. Jackson and Amanda Sonnega. The incidence of dementia among American men over age 50 is 1.2 percent. Among retired NFL players over age 50, it was 6.1 percent.

The study raises questions about the connection between concussion and dementia.

When I heard about the NFL study, I thought of my Dad. The place where he lives now--Silverado Senior Living--is the place the NFL has contracted with to provide care to former players and their families who suffer Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or other forms of memory impairment.