Traumatic brain injury, collision sports participation, and neurodegenerative disorders: narrative power, scientific evidence, and litigation

The present and future burden of neurodegenerative disorder, particularly dementia, for individuals, society, and healthcare systems has been extremely well documented. Dementia currently directly affects around 50 million people globally and, owing to demographic expansion, its prevalence is expected to triple over the following three decades.1 The disappointing results of trials of drug treatments for dementia, and other neurodegenerative disease, such as motor neuron disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and Parkinson’s disease—particularly curative therapies—bring into sharp focus the need to identify modifiable risk factors. Head injury has been advanced in this regard,2 is common3 and, in principle, has the potential for amelioration via advances in safety legislation and protective technologies. Operationalising head impact Head injury severity might be operationalised as a continuum. The traumatic insults occurring at the higher end of this spectrum result from vehicular accidents, assaults, and falls in civilian populations and...
Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research