Chronic Damage Has Been Underestimated

Boxing—Acute Complications and Late Sequelae: From Concussion to Dementia by Prof. Dr. med. Hans Förstl, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Christian Haass, Prof. Dr. med. Bernhard Hemmer, Prof. Dr. med. Bernhard Meyer, Prof. Dr. med. Martin Halle in volume 47/2010

The review article „Boxing—Acute Complications and Late Sequelae“ provides valuable information on the acute sequelae and the risks to professional boxers as well as amateur boxers. However, the authors seemed to me to underestimate the chronic harms associated with professional boxing. In my doctoral dissertation, “The schizophrenias after craniocerebral trauma”, Bochum 2006, I cited a study reported by Mendez (1995), which found in about half of 224 randomly selected former British professional boxers some kind of cerebral damage; the clinical indicators included in 40% of cases balance impairment, dysarthria, or alcohol misuse. Mid to late stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was seen in 17%. 50–60% of the professional boxers had cerebral or cerebellar atrophy or ventricular enlargement on CCT. Of note is also the significantly higher proportion of boxers (compared with the general population) with cavum septi pellucidi (in 23% vs up to 5.4%). Cordeiro and de Oliveira (2001) confirmed in a literature review the findings reported by Mendez (1995).

DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2011.0145c

Dr. med. Wolfgang B. Lindemann

Seestr. 21c, 22607 Hamburg, Germany

Conflict of interest statement
The author declares that no conflict of interest exists according to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors

References

1. Mendez MF: The neuropsychiatric aspects of boxing. Int-J-Psychiatry-Med 1995; 25(3): 249–62.

2. Cordeiro Q, de Oliveira AM: Sintomas parkinsonianos, cerebelares, psicóticos e demenciais em ex-pugilista. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2001; 59(2-A): 283–5

3. Lindemann W: Die Schizophrenien nach Schädel-Hirn-Trauma und deren neuropathophysiologische Mechanismen. Dissertation Ruhr-Universität-Bochum 2006 (grundsätzlich im online-Dissertationsverzeichnis der Ruhr-Universität zu finden, oder auf meiner Homepage http://www.wolfganglindemann.net/html/dissertation.html )

4. Förstl H, Haass C, Hemmer B, Meyer B, Halle M: Boxing: acute complications and late sequelae, from concussion to dementia. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107(47): 835–9.