‘This is scary’: New study reveals brain disease risk more than double among former rugby players

Researchers call for major overhaul of concussion management in contact sports as new study reveals rugby players at greater risk of dementia and other brain diseases.

This Saturday’s Head Noise podcast will reveal the result of the brain scan of former NRL star James Graham. It will come just days after a new study revealed the risk of brain disease was more than double among former rugby players in Scotland.

Former Scottish international rugby union players are at a 2.5-times greater risk of dementia, and other degenerative brain diseases compared to the general population, according to a paper released today.

The study of hundreds of former Scottish international rugby players, using more than 32 years of health data, calculated the exact risk among the contact athletes varied by each neurodegenerative condition. It was just over twice as high for dementia, three times as high for Parkinson’s disease, and up to 15 times as high for motor neurone disease.

Researchers looked at 412 Scottish international rugby union players and 1236 people from the general public in the paper published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

Professor Alan Pearce, a concussion expert and neurophysiologist, said the results were “scary” and a major concern for those playing professional contact sports.

“What this paper shows is extra evidence that repeated exposure to tackles, bumps and any trauma is increasing degenerative brain diseases like dementia or CTE – it also shows this is not happening in the general population,” Professor Pearce said.

“The paper shows this is not affecting a former footballer’s life longevity, but their brains.

“This is scary because it is yet another study from another part of the world is showing what we have seen in America, in Europe and in Australia.”

Former England rugby international Michael Lipman recently opened up to The Weekend Australian Magazine on his probable CTE diagnosis. Rugby league greats Steve Mortimer, Ray Price, Mario Fenech are also suffering degenerative brain issues.

Former rugby star Michael Lipman with his wife Frankie. Picture: Nic Walker

Michael Lipman is treated after a heavy clash in a 2009 match. Picture: Getty Images

Dr Willie Stewart of the University of Glasgow, who was part of the paper focusing on Scottish rugby players, also led a landmark study on Scottish soccer players making the link between “heading” and traumatic brain diseases. Stewart also discovered the first known case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a rugby player in 2013.

“This is the second major study from Willie Stewart’s group who showed previously an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease in Scottish soccer players,” Professor Pearce said.

“While this study is smaller in sample size, the data clearly shows increased risks of neurodegenerative disease in Scottish rugby union players and increases the evidence worldwide of the exposure risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) following the recently published paper by 14 international experts from five countries led by Christopher Nowinski, which argues a causative association between repeated head impacts and neurodegenerative risk.

“Consequently, we need a concerted effort to change how we approach these sports in not only concussion management but also in reducing exposure to adult athletes, as well as modifying contact sports for junior players (children and young adolescents) up to the age of 14 years.””

The authors of the paper, titled “Neurodegenerative disease risk among former international rugby union players”, have encouraged more research into the area and also called for more strategies to reduce head impacts and injuries in both training and match play.

Head Noise, The Australian’s podcast investigation into concussion will on Saturday reveal the results of the podcast co-host’s, former NRL star James Graham.