Former international rugby union players may suffer lifelong negative health outcomes, according to research published today highlighting the links between injury and neurodegeneration.
Their risk of neurodegenerative disease appears to be about two and a half times higher than would normally be expected, say Professor Willie Stewart of the University of Glasgow, UK, and colleagues.
The researchers compared outcomes for 412 male, Scottish, former international rugby players, and compared the results to more than 1,200 similar people in the general population.
Lifespan was slightly higher for former rugby players, but neurodegenerative diseases were more common, with a doubling of risk of dementia, and ten times the risk of motor neuron disease.
Details appeared yesterday evening in the *Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry*. The authors add that player position was not related to the risk.
"This latest work under our FIELD programme of research demonstrates that risk of neurodegenerative disease is not isolated to former footballers, but also a concern for former rugby players," said Professor Stewart.
"As such, this study provides further insight into the association between contact sports and neurodegenerative disease risk. Of particular concern are the data on motor neuron disease risk among our rugby players, which is even higher than that for former professional footballers.
"This finding requires immediate research attention to explore the specific association between rugby and the devastating condition of motor neuron disease."�
This study, funded by The Football Association and The Professional Footballers Association, continues previous research on the brain health of former contact sports athletes.
Co-author Dr Emma Russell added: "Our data show that, in contrast to our previous findings in former professional football players, rugby players do not appear to benefit from a reduced risk of death due to cardiovascular disease or cancer, suggesting the possibility of sport-specific influences on lifelong health."�
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: "More research is needed to understand what lies behind this link, so we can more accurately predict who may be at greater risk of developing dementia after exposure to brain injury, and therefore put in place appropriate measures to protect players.
"This is a complex area and we want to reassure people that while people should be aware of the risks, they shouldn’t be put off from physical activity. Through programmes like this and the Alzheimer’s Society-funded PREVENT-RFC, which is studying elite rugby players, we will continue to widen our knowledge of the risks involved."�
Russell, E. et al. Neurodegenerative disease risk among former international rugby union players. *Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry* 4 October 2022; doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2022-329675
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