Neurocognitive health conditions in former professional football players: data extraction from included studies
| Article details (Author(s), year of publication, reference number, country of origin) | Study population | Study design and study purpose | Health condition(s) | Assessment method(s) | Outcome (prevalence, incidence) |
| Mackay et al, 201914 (UK) | n=7676 G=male A=67.9 (SD 13.0) (age of death) C=not provided R=not provided | Case-control study To compare mortality from neurodegenerative disease among Scottish former professional soccer players with that among matched controls from the general population. | Mortality with neurodegenerative disease. | Electronic health records for death certification and medication prescribed for treatment of dementia (databases of all Scottish professional soccer players) | 15.4% any cause of death (controls: 16.5%) 1.7% neurodegenerative disease listed as primary cause of death (controls: 0.5%) 2.9% any neurodegenerative disease listed as primary or contributory cause of death (controls: 1.0) 2.3% dementia not otherwise specified listed as primary or contributory cause of death (controls: 0.8%) 0.8% AD listed as primary or contributory cause of death (controls: 0.2%) 1.6% non-Alzheimer’s dementias listed as primary or contributory cause of death (controls: 0.6) 0.3% motor neuron disease listed as primary or contributory cause of death (controls: 0.1%) 0.4% PD listed as primary or contributory cause of death (controls: 0.2%) |
| Prien et al, 202053 (Germany) | n=66 G=female A=37.4 (SD 4.8) C=11.0 (SD 4.8) R=8.6 (SD 4.4) | Case-control study To compare neurocognitive performance, cognitive symptoms and mental health of retired elite female football players compared with an age and sex matched control group of retired elite non-contact sport athletes. | Neurocognitive performance | Computerised test battery CNSVS and four written tests | 63.6% minor to severe memory problems (controls: 40.0%) |
| Sortland and Tysvaer, 198916 (Norway) | n=33 G=male A=52 C=not provided R=18 (8-39) | Cross-sectional study To investigate neuroimaging findings in a group of retired male professional footballers. | Brain atrophy, macroscopic brain injury | CT brain | 27% widened ventricles 18% cortical atrophy by visual grading 33% atrophy (11 players; five purely central, 4 central and cortical, 2 purely cortical) 18.2% showing an EI higher than 0.32 33.3% showing an EI equal to or higher than 0.30 63.6% MFH exceeding the upper range of normal . 78.8% exceeding normal values of median HI 0% exceeding normal 3V values. three players aged 54–66 Moderate cerebellar atrophy two players (59 and 66 years of age) septum pellucidum cyst |
| Vann Jones et al, 201415 (UK) | n=92 G=male A=67.45 (SD 6.96) C=13.84 (SD 4.67) R=not provided | Cross-sectional study To investigate the hypothesis that chronic low-level head trauma is associated with persistent cognitive decline. | MCI | TYM questionnaire | 10.87% screened positive for possible MCI |
A, age; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; BFI, bifrontal cerebroventricular index; BW, transverse with of the brain; BW, transverse with of the brain; C, duration of career; CD, distance between caudate nuclei; CNSVS, CNS vital signs; CS, maximum width of cortical hemispheric sulci; EI, Evans Index; G, gender; HI, Huckmann Index; LSC, left septum caudate distance; MCI, Mild cognitive impairment; MFH, maximum bilateral width of frontal horns; MFH, maximum bilateral width of frontal horns; N/n, number of participants; PD, Parkinson’s disease; R, duration of retirement; RSC, right septum caudate distance; TYM, Test Your Memory; 3V, width of third ventricle.