Norm Hewitt died this week after suffering from motor neurone disease. Photo / Photosport
Norm Hewitt died this week after suffering from motor neurone disease. Photo / Photosport
Rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions face being prone to developing neurodegenerative conditions such as motor neurone disease, a new study says, amid “major concern” on the effect of heavy contact.
Research led by Durham University, as part of the UK Rugby Health project, demonstrated that it may be possible to measure specific “biomarkers”, which can indicate disease or forecast future disease in athletes that have endured multiple traumas to the head.
World Rugby is understood to have obtained a copy of the study and has passed it onto its dedicated medical team.
The study analysed blood from 56 male professional athletes seven years after their retirement. Of that group, 30 had suffered more than five concussions and had their blood compared with 26 retired rugby players who had not suffered concussions as well as retired athletes from non-contact sports.
Blood samples of players to have suffered concussions were found to contain more indicators of neural damage, known as serum exosomes. Researchers also found higher levels of specific proteins – serum t-tau and p-tau181 – which play a significant role in the development of Alzheimer’s and MND, compared to the healthy control group.
Both codes of rugby have strong links to the MND community through high-profile ambassadors including Doddie Weir, Rob Burrow and Ed Slater. It was confirmed on Tuesday that Norm Hewitt, the former All Blacks hooker, died after being diagnosed with MND. Hewitt’s former Hawke’s Bay teammate Jarrod Cunningham also passed away of the disease in 2007.
Scotland rugby great Doddie Weir died after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Photo / INPHO/Billy Stickland
Professor Paul Chazot, the senior author on the study from Durham University’s department of biosciences, said: “The long-term effects of concussions on rugby players, football players, boxers as well as retired military personnel is a major concern, because of the link to neurodegenerative diseases.
“This study gives us the beginnings of a biomarker toolbox to periodically monitor the brain health of retired contact sportspeople, particularly those with a history of concussion during their career.
“It will also pave the way for the introduction of the necessary interventions to minimise the development of future neurodegenerative disease. We have a range of interventions currently in advanced stages of development.”
Dr Brian Dickie, the director of research development at the MND Association, explained that the results should be “treated with caution” but welcomed larger studies in the future.
“This is a small but intriguing study which raises very pertinent questions about whether there are long-lasting effects associated with repeated concussion, but these preliminary findings will need to be followed up with larger studies in more representative populations,” he said.
“The researchers observed changes in a small number of blood biomarkers which are associated with nerve cell health and damage, but there were other biomarkers where no changes were seen. The lack of consistency across all the biomarkers tested does mean that the results should be treated with caution at this stage.
“The study also specifically looked at those who had a very clear reported history of repeated concussion. Looking at ‘extreme cases’ is an appropriate approach to take in the first instance, but it does not tell us about what is happening in the more general sports population, including rugby players, where a risk of concussion exists.
“Hopefully this initial report will be followed up through larger research studies that will help determine the real-world relevance of these findings.”
World Rugby is funding Kumanu Tangata: The aftermatch project, which in conjunction with the University of Auckland and Ken Quarrie, the senior scientist at New Zealand Rugby, has set out to investigate “long-term health and social outcomes associated with playing rugby union”.
