NFL Exec Admits Link Between CTE and Brain Trauma

[26CornerBlitz]

Lions' DeAndre Levy calls out Colts owner Jim Irsay on aspirin comments

DeAndre Levy took to Instagram on Monday, questioning Jim Irsay's comments comparing the risks of playing football to taking aspirin.

 

Jim Irsay.

[papazoid]

Blood test that can find evidence of a concussion days later is closer to becoming a reality

 

 

The study involved 600 patients admitted to a trauma center from March 2010 to March 2014. All had suffered some kind of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness, amnesia or disorientation. The researchers drew the participants' blood when they were initially admitted and at regular intervals in the days following to look at how a level of a biomarker known as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) changed over time. The blood samples showed that GFAP peaked at 20 hours after injury and slowly declined over 72 hours but continued to be detectable for seven days.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/blood-test-that-can-find-evidence-of-a-concussion-days-later-is-closer-to-becoming-a-reality/ar-BBr2x95?ocid=spartanntp

[Mr. WEO]

Blood test that can find evidence of a concussion days later is closer to becoming a reality

 

 

The study involved 600 patients admitted to a trauma center from March 2010 to March 2014. All had suffered some kind of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness, amnesia or disorientation. The researchers drew the participants' blood when they were initially admitted and at regular intervals in the days following to look at how a level of a biomarker known as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) changed over time. The blood samples showed that GFAP peaked at 20 hours after injury and slowly declined over 72 hours but continued to be detectable for seven days.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/blood-test-that-can-find-evidence-of-a-concussion-days-later-is-closer-to-becoming-a-reality/ar-BBr2x95?ocid=spartanntp

 

Leaving aside the question of whether a blood test is necessary to diagnose a concussion in a person who suffered a head injury and lost consciousness or had amnesia as a result, what would be the benefit of a positive or negative blood test? To simply document the concussion which was already assumed? When the level of GFAP are back to "normal" is it safe to play again? How does this info help a league or a player make decisions after such a an event in a way that they cannot now?

Edited March 29, 2016 by Mr. WEO

[Observer]

 

The point is not what would I or other parents choose, but that choice be allowed. Regardless, it has nothing at all to do with the NFL, where likely all players who reach that level will already have pathological evidence of CTE in their brains.

 

What I was saying is that allowing kids to bash their heads repeatedly is probably going to be a choice taken away from parents before long.

 

The studies now are not convincing at a statistical level (they are mostly only studying brains of footballers who already have CTE symptoms...thus they find CTE). That said, I'd put a high wager on a verified and credible study correlating football and CTE before long. The causal study will take more time but what's the point in encouraging kids to take blows to the head.

 

Play other sports where head blows are not built into the game. Sure you can still get bashed but it's not going to happen as part of regular play.

 

And though "Heads-up" helps, let's not kid ourselves: Football is violent and heads will get hit in football regardless of tackling technique.

 

All of the above from a HUGE football fan. But for kids, the day is coming when it won't be allowed.

[Mr. WEO]

 

What I was saying is that allowing kids to bash their heads repeatedly is probably going to be a choice taken away from parents before long.

 

The studies now are not convincing at a statistical level (they are mostly only studying brains of footballers who already have CTE symptoms...thus they find CTE). That said, I'd put a high wager on a verified and credible study correlating football and CTE before long. The causal study will take more time but what's the point in encouraging kids to take blows to the head.

 

Play other sports where head blows are not built into the game. Sure you can still get bashed but it's not going to happen as part of regular play.

 

And though "Heads-up" helps, let's not kid ourselves: Football is violent and heads will get hit in football regardless of tackling technique.

 

All of the above from a HUGE football fan. But for kids, the day is coming when it won't be allowed.

 

We can assume that all NFL players, if biopsied, have evidence of CTE--which at this point is a pathological diagnosis/finding. What seems obvious is that the vast majority of NFL players current or past, suffer no evidence of a neurological disease.

 

Or, look at the opposite, assume that only those rare few who do develop neurological disease are the ones with CTE evidence in the brain. In either case, the likelihood of any NFL player, let alone any of the 1000X more kids who played Pop Warner, of developing a debilitating disease is low.

 

Football for youths "won't be allowed"? By whom? The government? Of course not--they still allow the sale of cigarettes, which will kill far more people per year than sports related CTE.

 

The only thing that will end youth football are unaffordable insurance premiums paid by the youth leagues. Right now, it's too lucrative for the insurance companies to price out the leagues.

[Observer]

 

We can assume that all NFL players, if biopsied, have evidence of CTE--which at this point is a pathological diagnosis/finding. What seems obvious is that the vast majority of NFL players current or past, suffer no evidence of a neurological disease.

 

Or, look at the opposite, assume that only those rare few who do develop neurological disease are the ones with CTE evidence in the brain. In either case, the likelihood of any NFL player, let alone any of the 1000X more kids who played Pop Warner, of developing a debilitating disease is low.

 

Football for youths "won't be allowed"? By whom? The government? Of course not--they still allow the sale of cigarettes, which will kill far more people per year than sports related CTE.

 

The only thing that will end youth football are unaffordable insurance premiums paid by the youth leagues. Right now, it's too lucrative for the insurance companies to price out the leagues.

 

Occurence of CTE as "low" is not the standard for this. If you put kids at X times more risk for CTE by playing football, it's not going to be worth it.

 

Government, insurance, pick a group that can put an end to football.

 

Your cigarette argument supports my point. Cigarettes can only be bought by adults.

 

Don't underestimate motherment.

[Mr. WEO]

 

Occurence of CTE as "low" is not the standard for this. If you put kids at X times more risk for CTE by playing football, it's not going to be worth it.

 

Government, insurance, pick a group that can put an end to football.

 

Your cigarette argument supports my point. Cigarettes can only be bought by adults.

 

Don't underestimate motherment.

 

 

The point about cigarettes is that the vast majority of smokers will not die of cancer, just as the vast majority of kids will not develop any sequelae of your "repeated head bashing" hypeobole.

 

The individuals who will prevent the end of youth football are the parents who want their kids to play. The government will not be involved because no majority of politicians at the state or local level would ever vote to eliminate it--any more than they would ever ban the sale of cigarettes.

[Observer]

 

 

The point about cigarettes is that the vast majority of smokers will not die of cancer, just as the vast majority of kids will not develop any sequelae of your "repeated head bashing" hypeobole.

 

The individuals who will prevent the end of youth football are the parents who want their kids to play. The government will not be involved because no majority of politicians at the state or local level would ever vote to eliminate it--any more than they would ever ban the sale of cigarettes.

 

Politicians will blow whichever way there is a prevailing wind. They tax soda FFS!

 

"Repeated head bashing" is not hyperbole, it's football.

[Mr. WEO]

 

Politicians will blow whichever way there is a prevailing wind. They tax soda FFS!

 

"Repeated head bashing" is not hyperbole, it's football.

 

The prevailing wind will never be to outlaw football or any youth sports. It's silly to think otherwise.

 

60 million kids ages 6-18 participate in organized sports. There were 24 sports related deaths over a 5 year period in high school sports participants (no other reliable data exists regarding those younger than in high school.

 

Another study showed that over a 40 year span, 46 college and pro level and 343 HS players lost their lives as a direct result of playing footbal

 

For kids under 9, concussions are most frequent with bicycling and on playgrounds (where a 7 year period recorded 40 deaths).

 

For ages 10-19, the most common association of concussions was football and bicycling for boys and soccer or biking.

 

In HS sports that both boys and girls play (soccer and basketball), girls sustain concussions at a higher rate than boys.

 

So do the politicians go after playgrounds and bikes, banishing them as well? They should, by your logic.

[26CornerBlitz]

The NFL demands a retraction from New York Times on concussion story

The NFL is demanding a retraction from the New York Times after their concussion story last week.

[Observer]

 

The prevailing wind will never be to outlaw football or any youth sports. It's silly to think otherwise.

 

60 million kids ages 6-18 participate in organized sports. There were 24 sports related deaths over a 5 year period in high school sports participants (no other reliable data exists regarding those younger than in high school.

 

Another study showed that over a 40 year span, 46 college and pro level and 343 HS players lost their lives as a direct result of playing footbal

 

For kids under 9, concussions are most frequent with bicycling and on playgrounds (where a 7 year period recorded 40 deaths).

 

For ages 10-19, the most common association of concussions was football and bicycling for boys and soccer or biking.

 

In HS sports that both boys and girls play (soccer and basketball), girls sustain concussions at a higher rate than boys.

 

So do the politicians go after playgrounds and bikes, banishing them as well? They should, by your logic.

 

Well parroted but misses the big difference. When riding a bicycle or playing on a swing, a head injury is an accident. In football head blows are part of the game.

 

Headers in soccer area already becoming controversial. Some leagues don't allow them and some coaches/parents don't allow them.

 

If you don't think all a CTE linkage will catch up to youth football, you're nuts.

[papazoid]

 

Leaving aside the question of whether a blood test is necessary to diagnose a concussion in a person who suffered a head injury and lost consciousness or had amnesia as a result, what would be the benefit of a positive or negative blood test? To simply document the concussion which was already assumed? When the level of GFAP are back to "normal" is it safe to play again? How does this info help a league or a player make decisions after such a an event in a way that they cannot now?

 

player safety.

 

could possibly be used to help prevent players from coming back to soon from a head injury. players have been known to LIE about their real symptoms and condition in order to get back on the field faster or not be tagged as someone who is prone or more likely to have head issues going forward.

[Mr. WEO]

 

player safety.

 

could possibly be used to help prevent players from coming back to soon from a head injury. players have been known to LIE about their real symptoms and condition in order to get back on the field faster or not be tagged as someone who is prone or more likely to have head issues going forward.

 

 

CTE isn't caused by concussions per se. It's a long period of accumulated decelerations. Having a post concussive blood test return to normal range will have no preventative impact on the development of CTE.

 

Well parroted but misses the big difference. When riding a bicycle or playing on a swing, a head injury is an accident. In football head blows are part of the game.

 

Headers in soccer area already becoming controversial. Some leagues don't allow them and some coaches/parents don't allow them.

 

If you don't think all a CTE linkage will catch up to youth football, you're nuts.

 

 

It doesn't matter. Bikes are so far known to be more dangerous than playing football in regard to head injuries--even when used as intended. Why would the government eliminate one source of childhood concussion and not the other?

 

Football in youth can be played without head blows just as in soccer. Kids can play flag football. Football will never go away.

 

As long as youth tackle football leagues can be insured they will exist because kids want to play and parents want them to. Pretty simple.

[papazoid]

 

 

CTE isn't caused by concussions per se. It's a long period of accumulated decelerations.

 

 

 

 

 

that statement may or may not be true. it may be proven true or false down the road.

 

that blood test may or may not be helpful in any way for return to work issues and may or may not be helpful with CTE.

 

at this point, nobody knows what causes CTE. there are way more questions than answers.

 

just a reminder, Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 known to cause cancer (carcinogens)......and yet that industry denied a link for decades.

 

time will tell.

[hondo in seattle]

Video discussing blood test with photo of a dazed TE:

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/43c5a80ed345fe6e4f6e771b6cfcbf4e.htm

[Mr. WEO]

 

that statement may or may not be true. it may be proven true or false down the road.

 

that blood test may or may not be helpful in any way for return to work issues and may or may not be helpful with CTE.

 

at this point, nobody knows what causes CTE. there are way more questions than answers.

 

just a reminder, Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 known to cause cancer (carcinogens)......and yet that industry denied a link for decades.

 

time will tell.

 

 

The prevailing thinking about CTE is that it is not due to individual concussions but repeated blows. A blood test saying a single concussion has resolved does not mean, in the course of a career, a player has lessened his risk of developing CTE.

 

The historical denial by the tobacco companies has little to do with the fact that, although the harmful effects have been publicly very well known for decades now, people still chose to accept the risks and smoke. The same will be true for youth football. The federal or state government won't change either of these realities.

[hondo in seattle]

 

 

The prevailing thinking about CTE is that it is not due to individual concussions but repeated blows. A blood test saying a single concussion has resolved does not mean, in the course of a career, a player has lessened his risk of developing CTE.

 

The historical denial by the tobacco companies has little to do with the fact that, although the harmful effects have been publicly very well known for decades now, people still chose to accept the risks and smoke. The same will be true for youth football. The federal or state government won't change either of these realities.

 

The new blood test detects proteins released into the blood stream after a head injury. In other words, blood tests can potentially give doctors some insight into the damage done that will lead to CTE.

 

But any kind of concussion protocol is really closing the barn door after the horses have got out. Advances in helmet technology and rule changes are needed to reduce head injuries in the first place.

[Mr. WEO]

 

The new blood test detects proteins released into the blood stream after a head injury. In other words, blood tests can potentially give doctors some insight into the damage done that will lead to CTE.

 

But any kind of concussion protocol is really closing the barn door after the horses have got out. Advances in helmet technology and rule changes are needed to reduce head injuries in the first place.

 

 

The results can only be reported as "too late"...

[26CornerBlitz]

@PFWeekly

The New York Times fired back at the NFL in defense of its concussion story: https://t.co/Fdfw3RfneT

[Jauronimo]

 

The new blood test detects proteins released into the blood stream after a head injury. In other words, blood tests can potentially give doctors some insight into the damage done that will lead to CTE.

 

But any kind of concussion protocol is really closing the barn door after the horses have got out. Advances in helmet technology and rule changes are needed to reduce head injuries in the first place.

Good luck convincing any of the dunces here that there is testing for CTEs. I've been down that road.

Edited March 30, 2016 by Jauronimo