Athletes who play football, contact sports may face greater risk of Lewy Body Disease

A.J. Perez | USA TODAY

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Athletes who play football, hockey and other contact sports may face an increased risk of another brain disorder, according to a study published on Wednesday. 

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System reported in the study -- published in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology -- that contact sports participants may face an increased risk of Lewy Body Disease, which can trigger Parkinson’s disease.  The development of Lewy Body Disease appears to suggest that it is independent of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive head impacts. 

“We found the number of years an individual was exposed to contact sports, including football, ice hockey and boxing, was associated with the development of (Lewy Body Disease), and Lewy Body Disease, in turn, was associated with parkinsonism and dementia,” Thor Stein, the a corresponding author of the study and neuropathologist at VA Boston Healthcare System, said in a statement. 

Researchers studied 694 brains, including 269 from former athletes, as part of a long-running CTE study.  Of the athlete group, 217 (81.3%) were found to have CTE, and 54 (20.2%) were diagnosed with Lewy Body Disease. 

For years, researchers have attempted to find what is behind the loss of motor function that occurs in a minority of CTE cases, and Wednesday’s study suggests LBD is the cause.  The study also found that those who play contact sports and do not develop CTE are at greater risk of developing Lewy Body Disease, symptoms of which can include tremors and impaired movement.