Former footballers are approximately three and a half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disease than the general population, according to a new study. The report, released on Monday and commissioned by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association, assessed the medical records of 7,676 men who played professional football in Scotland between 1900 and 1976. Their records were matched against more than 23,000 individuals from the general population, with the study led by consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart of Glasgow University. Dr Stewart said in a statement: “An important aspect of this work has been the ability to look across a range of health outcomes in former professional footballers. “Our data show that while former footballers had higher dementia rates, they had lower rates of death due to other major diseases.

Source: Express October 21, 2019 11:26 UTC