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Multiple blows to the head, not just concussions, may lead to CTE

Sometimes, whether it is a child playing pee-wee football, a teenager under the Friday night lights or a person playing for the National Football League, any of these people could suffer a blow to the head, despite wearing a helmet. One serious type of progressive ailment that a person in Louisiana could develop after suffering a head injury is chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Athletes, military service members, car accident victims and anyone else who has experienced brain trauma, including one or more concussions, may develop CTE. CTE is a serious condition, as it could cause a person to suffer dementia, changes to their mood or it could make a person more aggressive. When a person suffers from a concussion, it could affect that person’s sense of balance and ability to remember things.

However, according to one study, CTE is not necessarily caused just by concussions, but instead can be caused by any repeated blows to the head. In fact, when it comes to athletes, 20 percent of those studied that developed CTE never received a concussion. According to a coauthor of the study, CTE is caused when a person receives a blow to the head, even if does not result in a concussion. When a person is hit on the head, blood vessels in the person’s head can release proteins into the surrounding brain tissue, causing inflammation.

This study is significant, because currently when it comes to athletics, the primary emphasis when it comes to preventing CTE has been on concussion prevention, instead of preventing players from suffering multiple blows to the head. To lower the chances a person may suffer from CTE, the number of head injuries must go down.

It is important to protect athletes and others from suffering brain injuries. Whether it is through playing a sport, a car crash or serving one’s country, if a person who suffers a head injury believes it is due to the negligence of another, they may want to determine what steps they can take if they decide to pursue compensation for their damages.

Source: futurity.org, “Head injury, not concussion, may cause CTE,” Rich Barlow, Jan. 18, 2018