Named sports that increase the risk of developing dementia

Sports that are associated with regular traumatic brain injuries - such as boxing, hockey and American football - increase the risk of developing dementia.

As reported by BAKU.WS, psychiatrist and narcologist Ruslan Isaev told "Gazeta.Ru".

"The so-called boxer's dementia is not a metaphor, but an official medical term denoting chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This is a progressive brain damage that occurs due to multiple head injuries, and they don't necessarily have to be severe. With regular blows to the head, especially in contact sports (boxing, kickboxing, MMA, American football, hockey), the brain receives micro-concussions. Each individual one might not show symptoms, but the cumulative effect triggers neurodegenerative processes. As a result, neurons die and the interaction between various brain structures is disrupted," the specialist explained.

CTE usually manifests many years later - sometimes even decades after the end of a sports career.

"Initially, changes are noticeable in character: irritability, hot-temperedness, impulsiveness, depressive states, and concentration problems appear. Later, there are memory, speech, and coordination disorders, and in severe stages - serious cognitive disorders similar to Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia," the doctor noted.

The risk group includes professional athletes participating in contact martial arts who receive repeated blows to the head over many years. Similar cases have also been identified in military personnel and people who have repeatedly experienced domestic injuries.

"Modern medicine cannot yet completely cure chronic traumatic encephalopathy, however, timely detection of cognitive and behavioral disorders helps slow its development and maintain the patient's quality of life," Isaev concluded.