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MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) — An increase in repetitive head impacts is associated with an increased hazard of death among National Football League (NFL) players, according to a study published online May 11 in JAMA Network Open<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Brittany L. Kmush, Ph.D., from Syracuse University in New York, and colleagues analyzed data from the Pro Football Reference (1969 to 2017). The analysis included 14,366 players with follow-up through July 1, 2018, including 13,912 players with calculations for the professional football cumulative head impact index (pfCHII).<\/p>\n
The researchers found that overall, 5.3 percent of players had died. Among the players in the pfCHII analysis, the median pfCHII score was 32.63. There was a significant association with an increased hazard of death for each 1-log increase in pfCHII (hazard ratio, 2.02) after adjustment. There was also a significant association with the quadratic pfCHII (hazard ratio, 0.91), indicating that the hazard of death increased at a decreasing rate, whereas the pfCHII increased.<\/p>\n
“Reduction in repetitive head impacts from playing football or other activities through additional rule and equipment changes may be associated with reduced mortality,” the authors write.<\/p>\n