0000000000345463
AUTHOR
G. David Batty
Dementia in former amateur and professional contact sports participants : population-based cohort study, systematic review, and meta-analysis
Background Although there is growing evidence that former professional athletes from sports characterised by repetitive head impact subsequently experience an elevated risk of dementia, the occurrence of this disorder in retired amateurs, who represent a larger population, is uncertain. The present meta-analysis integrates new results from individual-participant analyses of a cohort study of former amateur contact sports participants into a systematic review of existing studies of retired professionals and amateurs. Methods The cohort study comprised 2005 male retired amateur athletes who had competed internationally for Finland (1920–1965) and a general population comparison group of 1386 …
Suicide and depression in former contact sports participants: population-based cohort study, systematic review, and meta-analysis
SummaryBackgroundTraumatic brain injury is associated with the future risk of depression and suicide, and this raises the possibility that former participants in sports characterised by low intensity repetitive head impact may also subsequently experience an increased burden of these mental health outcomes. Using new data from a cohort study integrated into a meta-analysis of the current evidence, we compared the occurrence of depression and suicide in former contact sports athletes against general population controls.MethodsThe cohort study comprised 2004 retired male athletes who had competed internationally on an amateur basis for Finland between 1920 and 1965, and 1385 age-equivalent ma…