Researchers reported the first diagnosis of brain degenerative disease CTE in a female professional athlete.
Australian Rules footballer Heather Anderson, who died last year, was found to have CTE, researchers say Published in Acta Neuropathologica.
“It seems likely that more CTE cases will be identified among female athletes due to the increasing proportion of women in professional contact sports,” the report said. “Given women’s susceptibility to concussions, there is an urgent need to recognize the risks and develop strategies and policies to minimize traumatic brain injuries in women’s increasingly popular contact sports. is.”
Anderson started playing Australian Rules Football at the age of five, eventually making it to the Women’s Top League with the Adelaide Crows. She retired in 2017 at the age of 23 due to her shoulder injury. According to her family, she died by suicide at the age of 28. She has been confirmed to have had one concussion, and four more were suspected by her family but never formally diagnosed.
“It was a surprise, but not a surprise,” says her father Brian. told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Diagnostic programs 7.30. “And now that this report is published, I think I’m trying to think about what impact this report will have on women athletes around the world.”
CTE can eventually lead to personality changes such as depression, memory loss, and aggressive behavior. The longer the athlete continues to play contact sports, the worse the symptoms. This condition can only be diagnosed after death. Ms Anderson’s family donated her brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank for her research.
Researchers found three lesions in Anderson’s brain. They suggested her CTE in the early stages, given her young age.
The majority of CTE cases are men, especially American football players Junior Sew, Ken Stabler, Frank Gifford, Mike Webster, Andre Waters, boxers and Australian football players who have played contact sports for many years. has occurred in men who had participated in rugby player. NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who was convicted of murder in 2015 and committed suicide at the age of 27, was found to have a severe CTE injury similar to that of the player in his 60s.
Researchers said they have so far found only a handful of cases in women and none in professional athletes.
Contact sports for women, especially rugby, are booming in many regions. The Australian Rules League, the women’s top league, started in 2017. Anderson made it to the league’s first grand final.
