Much like football and other contact sports, rugby can lead to repeat head injuries with long-term effects on the brain A new study suggests that certain blood 'biomarkers' can pinpoint which rugby players are at highest risk The discoveries might lead to better prevention and treatment THURSDAY, July 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Alix Popham played in two rugby World Cups and won a Six Nations Grand Slam before retiring in 2011 as a professional in the rough-and-tumble game. By 2020, he had already been diagnosed with early onset and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disabling brain disease long linked to repeated head trauma. Emboldened to activism by his experience, Popham helped found , which advocates for better ways of preventing brain damage among rugby players.
“This is more evidence that big changes need to happen to protect current rugby players. World Rugby need to get their heads out of the sand and in turn protect the game," Popham said in a news release from Durham University. Similar to what's been observed in other contact sports such as football and boxing, rugby can leave players with neurological damage long after they've retired.
Now, a new study out of Durham suggests that certain blood biomarkers could predict those players at highest risk for CTE and other neurological issues. That might allow for earlier interventions that could minimize the damage, researchers said. has already demonstrated that retired professional rugby players hav.
