Men who played rugby union for Scotland are far more likely to develop dementia, Parkinson’s disease and motor neurone disease than the rest of the population
Health
October 4, 2022
The Scotland men’s rugby team in a match against Ireland in 2002 Andrew Cowie/Shutterstock
Men who have played rugby union at international level are more than twice as likely to develop dementia than the general population.
Previous studies have shown that directing the ball in football is linked to increased risk of dementiaand that American football players are more likely than others to die of neurodegenerative diseases.
William Stuart at the University of Glasgow in the UK and colleagues analyzed the medical histories and death certificates of 412 Scottish men…