Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that
usually results from multiple concussion or head injuries. According to
NewsPath article that I read, former National Football League (NFL) players who
are over 50 years have five times higher chance of getting dementia. Some of these
players who died agreed to donate their brain to be researched on and out of
these people that donated the brain over 90% have confirmed CTE. This disease
has also been seen in people who played other contact sports such as boxing,
wrestling, hockey, and soccer.
The symptom of this disease can vary by severity and the clinical state
the patient is at. Some examples are dizziness, confusion, headache, tremor,
vertigo and many other symptoms. Although, a doctor might observe some of these
signs, it is not possible to confirm the diagnosis as CTE. CTE does not produce
a biomarker that would help a physician to clarify the diagnosis in a living
athlete. In order to diagnose it some tissue has to be taken from the brain and
looked at under a microscope. So, this disease can only be diagnosed after patient
death.
Currently, there is not treatment for this disease since it is usually diagnosed
after death. The only thing you can do to avoid getting this disease is a
preventative measures such as wearing helmet and avoiding concussion if possible.
Since this
disease can only be diagnosed after death and there is no treatment for it yet,
as a physicians what can you do or say to your patients who is concerned that
they had multiple concussions in the pass and they are now experiencing some of
the symptom associated with this disease? Should I stop playing any contact
sport?
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a very alarming disease. I had no idea how many people are affected and that the onset of the disease is so young. I think education is the key in helping prevent this disease. I don’t think many people know about the disease and the severity.
ReplyDeleteI did some research to see if there has been any head way in diagnosis of this disease. I found that scientists at UCLA have discovered a biomarker [18F]FDDNP that could possibly be used in PET scans to diagnose CTE in live patients. The biomarker works through attaching itself to a protein called tau. Tau is a protein in the brain that builds up and creates tangles in patients that have died with CTE. I also found that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may be the key to looking at injury to the brain after concussions. This type of imaging is sensitive enough to pick up changes in the white matter of the brain. Maybe DTI and PET should be used as a routine procedure for individuals playing contact sports to diagnose the disease before the player dies from it.
Reference:
http://deadspin.com/5920006/can-science-see-inside-an-nfl-players-skull-before-its-too-late
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337491/
To answer your question, in my opinion there are so many problems associated with contact sports. My dad personally has extremely bad OA because of the continuous football he played for years in school. However, I never really thought about the brain complications associated with contact sports. I also think that education is probably the most important thing people can do. As long as people are aware of the risks and protect their heads the severity and frequency can be decreased. Also, are their correlations between the biomarker attached to Tau in a patient with CTE and a dementia patient? How does someone die from CTE? It seems that many of the symptoms associated from this disease are not really life threatening? Would a final concussion trigger death? Is there any chance or reversal after the onset, or does leaving the sport have the ability to decrease the progression of the disease?
ReplyDeleteyes,there is Tau correlation in patients with CTE and dementia. on the second question, Nick explained very well how CTE can cause death and also provided some serious symptoms of CTE.
Delete"Would a final concussion trigger death?" we don't know yet. with this disease there are many unanswered questions. For example, we don't know how many concussion a person have to get in order for a person to develop CTE.
currently, i haven't seen any paper/article that says CTE is reversible after leaving a contact sport. The problem with this disease is we can only diagnose it after the patient died. Kim has mentioned some of the technique that are being tested to help with the diagnosis but it is not available yet.
I think that this a great topic because in the past we have discussed diseases such as Diabetes and Alzheimers, which could be prevented (or the severity could be lessened) by remaining active. If people become active as children and make sports such football, boxing, or perhaps non-contact sports such gymnastics, part of their routine, at what point should people quit the activities they've grown to love and which could improve their health in order to relieve other healthcare risks such as CTE?
ReplyDeleteBy the time I become a physician, hopefully there is a better understanding of the biomarkers, like FDDNP, which correlate with CTE. I feel that I would educate my patients and/or their family members of the ultimate risks associated with their sports that may lead to concussions, and the importance of preventative measures. Also, I think that levels of the biomarkers should be tested every year or two in order to track any progression. If at a certain point there seems to be a noticeable increase in FDDNP (and there are symptoms of the disease) I would have to recommend a switch in the physical activity performed by my patients.
This is a very good point you brought up about the benefit of exercise vs the risk of getting CTE. In my opinion i would rather exercise or do a less contact activities like walking and running.
DeleteCTE's are not just found in athletes in cntact sports, returning veterans in traumatic battle have similar symptoms. To answer your question I think contact sports needs to have much more severe regulations in concussion returns for players in contact sports. I am an athlete and I love contact sports, but most professional athletes neglect to report mild concussions as well as being returned too soon after a full concussion. “CTE promotes the TAU protein; TAU is a microtubule protein that regulates nerves. CTE causes the over exertion of TAU which causes a neurofibrilary angle which tangles and degenerates the brain” said Dr. Ann McKee on the brainline.org website. Dr. McKee noticed that CTE victims also lacked beta myeloid in the brain seen with Alzheimer’s patients. CTE causes erratic behavior, memory loss, depression, and poor impulse control. To answer your question April CTE can cause suicides, decreasing health, and lack of memory to perform daily necessary functions (eat, sleep, and learn).
ReplyDeleteIf you begin to experience the symptoms of CTE, I would think it would be logical to stop playing the contact sport. I could be wrong, but I don't believe brain damage is reversible, or at least reversible to the point at which you would experience regular brain function. By stopping the activity, you can at least prevent further damage from being done and it may be easier to treat.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with that theory, though, like Nick said, is that most professional athletes won't report a mild concussion, and will play too soon after the injury. It's not the physician's fault for not being able to diagnose the problem right away, but the athlete's fault for not listening to their symptoms and probably ignoring the physician's suggestions.
I saw so many testimonies about Dr Itua a great HERBAL DOCTOR that can cure all kind of diseases and give you the rightful health to live a joyful life, I didn't believe it at first, but as the pain got worse and my life was at risk after visiting my therapist numerous times for combination of treatments. And no changes so I decided to take a try, I contacted him also and told him I want a cure for Vulvar cancer/ Testicular cancer and it was Stage IIIA, he gave me advice on what I must do and he delivered it to me in my state which I use according to his instruction, and today I must say I am so grateful to this man Dr Itua for curing me from Vulvar cancer/ Testicular cancer and for restoring me back to my normal health and a sound life, I am making this known to every one out there who have been living with cancers all his life or any sick person should not waste more time just contact him with his details below- WhatsApp- +2348149277967 Email drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com, believe me this man is a good man with Godly heart, this is the real secret we all have been searching for. Do not waste more time contacting him today for you to also live a sound and happy life. He cures the following disease, thyroid Cancer, Uterine cancer, Fibroid, Arthritis, Brain Tumor,Fibromyalgia, Bladder cancer, Brain cancer, HIV, Herpes, Esophageal cancer, Gallbladder cancer, Gestational trophoblastic disease, Head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma Intestinal cancer, Kidney cancer,Hpv, Lung cancer, Melanoma,Mesothelioma, Multiple myeloma,Neuroendocrine tumors Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Oral cancer, Ovarian cancer, Sinus cancer, Hepatitis A, B/C, Skin cancer, Soft tissue sarcoma, Stroke, Lupus, Spinal cancer, Stomach cancer, Vaginal cancer,Vulvar cancer, Testicular cancer,Tach Diseases, Pancreatic Cancer, Leukemia, Liver cancer, Throat cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Chronic Diarrhea,Copd, Parkinson,Als,Adrenocortical carcinoma Infectious mononucleosis.
ReplyDelete