DAVE DUERSON BRAIN DAMAGE CONFIRMED
Medical researchers have confirmation that the late Dave Duerson’s suspicion that he suffered brain damage was correct.
This week, the Los Angeles Times ran a story regarding Duerson, the late Chicago Bears' Super Bowler, who died earlier this year from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. After a successful career on and off the playing field, Duerson began to suffer from headaches, memory loss, vision and attention problems, and impulse control. Duerson, who requested that his brain be studied at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, was convinced that he suffered brain damage as a result of the many years he spent playing football. Medical researchers now say they have confirmation that Duerson was correct.
In fact, his autopsy revealed that "Duerson suffered from a neurodegenerative disease linked to concussions and other repetitive head trauma…." The Los Angeles Times article discusses the work of neurologists at Boston University and the Bedford VA Medical Center who have so far examined fifteen former players, discovering "signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in 14 of them."
What is the significance of these findings? According to the article, researchers have now "reinforced growing concerns about long-term football injuries." "[R]epetitive concussions and sub-concussive blows, other yet-to-be-determined factors — perhaps including genetic predisposition — could put individuals at risk."
The Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog has discussed the seriousness of sports-related injuries in past posts. As Chicago brain injury attorneys, we understand the long-term effects of head trauma. Contact us if you or someone you know has suffered head trauma in a sports-related incident or a motor vehicle collision.
