Cte - a Progressive Degenerative Disease

Drew Cayce

03/10/15

Mr. Balhoff

A+P

CTE

CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma. It is such a crucial disease to look at because it is affecting athletes all over the world. It is important to investigate the causes of the disease. In this essay, I will talk about the disease, the causes, and the prognosis.

Scientists have determined the cause of CTE and found a link between head injuries and the disease. Over time, injuries to the head add up and start to lead to a foreign group of tau proteins. These proteins can then create a lot of mass in the brain, which can then block normal brain function. Having a history of head injuries may put you at a risk for CTE in your lifetime. People with the highest risk of this disease are people who play contact sports, like football.

Through ongoing search to learn how to diagnose CTE to people who are still alive, scientists are still having trouble. Diagnosis of this disease is very difficult. The disease can only be diagnosed through tests on the brain after death of the patient. There usually is not much the doctors can do for the patients. If the disease is detected while the patient is alive, doctors may advise some treatments. Some of these treatments include medicines such as antidepressants and a good diet. Another thing often talked about regarding CTE is the danger of football. As I mentioned earlier, heavy contact sports cause a greater chance at getting CTE. “Researchers have now examined the brain tissue of 128 deceased football players who have played as early as high school to college to professionally; the results of this sample is that 101 or about 80 percent of the samples were tested positive for chronic traumatic encephalopathy” ("Study Offers Clues about How CTE Begins”).  Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is an ongoing problem and doesn’t seem that scientists and researchers are making much of an improvement with it. It continues to be dangerous playing contact sports starting at a young age, especially football players with how the sport is steadily getting more physical and dangerous. Luckily, people devote their lives to finding a cure with continued research and improvement of treatments. Hopefully a cure will peak soon.