How Long Is It Safe To Play Football? CTE Risk, Severity Increases With Years Played, Study Shows
The study in the Annals of Neurology reported athletes who played more than 14.5 years were 10 times more likely to develop the brain-wasting disease, though several players with careers 15 years or longer were found not to have CTE. Public health news looks at a possible virus behind a rare disease paralyzing children, eye exams aided by smartphones, the toll chronic stress plays on blood sugar levels, unsafe sleeping positions while pregnant, a popular video game's impact on children's brains, and new worries for parents about sleepovers, as well.
The New York Times:
Players With C.T.E. Doubled Their Risk With Every 5.3 Years In Football
Former tackle football players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head hits, doubled their risk of developing the worst forms of the disease for each 5.3 years they played, according to a new study. Scientists have known that more years playing tackle football is associated with thinking and memory deficits later in life. This study builds on that research and, for the first time, calculated the number of years played with levels of measurable disease in the brain. (Belson, 10/7)
NPR:
Acute Flaccid Myelitis May Be Caused By A Virus, Research Shows
The condition strikes young children. It can start with run-of-the-mill virus symptoms, like fever or sniffles. But, then the kids lose control of their limbs, may have trouble swallowing or breathing, or even end up paralyzed. This terrifying experience happened to more than 570 families since 2014, whose children were struck with an illness called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. "It was really scary," says Susan Coyne, the mother of a son, Evan Mazanec, who developed AFM back in 2014 when he was 7 years old. "When this first started, no one really knew what it was," she says. (Aubrey, 10/7)
NPR:
Smartphone App Can Help Detect Leukocoria, A Sign Of Eye Cancer
It's hard for doctors to do a thorough eye exam on infants. They tend to wiggle around — the babies, that is, not the doctors. But a new smart phone app takes advantage of parents' fondness for snapping pictures of their children to look for signs that a child might be developing a serious eye disease. The app is the culmination of one father's the five-year quest to find a way to catch the earliest signs of eye disease, and prevent devastating loss of vision. (Palca, 10/7)
The New York Times:
Stress Can Make You Sick. Take Steps To Reduce It.
Not long ago Dr. Rangan Chatterjee had a patient with Type 2 diabetes who was struggling to lower his blood sugar levels despite following an intense diet and exercise program. Dr. Chatterjee counseled him to focus on the root cause of his problem: Chronic stress. The patient, a 53-year-old businessman, had been putting in long hours at the office, working late into the night and skimping on sleep. (O'Connor, 10/8)
The New York Times:
Pregnant? Try Not To Sleep On Your Back
During pregnancy, sleeping on your back may be a bad idea. Previous studies have found that sleeping in a supine position causes compression of veins and arteries that can lead to a reduction in blood flow to the placenta severe enough to double the risk for stillbirth after 28 weeks of gestation. (Bakalar, 10/8)
Kansas City Star:
Lawsuit: Epic Games Made Fortnite Addictive ‘Like Cocaine’
Does the popular video game Fortnite have the same affect on children’s brains as cocaine? A Canadian law firm says the game releases the same pleasure chemicals in the brain as the illicit drug in a new lawsuit, according to Canadian reports. (Duncan, 10/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Sleepovers Have Parents Worried About Midnight Gadget Use
Kids’ sleepovers have gotten complicated. The days of flashlights, Ouija boards and prank calls are over. Now, some parents are worried their children could be exposed to porn, violent videogames or the pressure to post inappropriate photos in the wee hours. (Jargon, 10/8)
