(Reuters) – Former players and coaches across sport have joined a campaign by British dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society to tackle the stigma around the neurodegenerative disease and support people affected by the condition on World Alzheimer’s Day on Tuesday. Sport United Against Dementia is fortunate to have household name talent getting behind our work for this crucial campaign,” SUAD chair Richard Thompson said. The campaign will fund research into the causes and risk factors of dementia, including a study with elite rugby players and an informal pilot study with top soccer players. Former England rugby internationals Ben Kay and Martin Bayfield are involved in the study, which will look at whether elite rugby players show early warning signs of dementia. Head injuries, concussions and their potential long-term health impact have been in the spotlight in rugby since former players filed a class-action lawsuit against governing bodies, including World Rugby, alleging a failure to minimise risks.

Source: MetroXpress September 20, 2021 23:03 UTC