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Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

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This problem is very important for people to understand in order to protect athletes and military personnel. The health of a persons brain is linked to this problem and people need to be aware of the damage constant hits to the head can cause. The parents of young athletes who are unaware of these things need to be educated so they can try to prevent chronic traumatic encephalopathy as best as possible. This is something that needs to be well know especially because the only real treatment of this is prevention of these constant head injuries. Once the damage has been done, it is irreversible. This is unlike that of a concussion because a concussion is reversible through the proper care and treatment. The symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy …show more content…

Firstly, the longer and athlete participates in a high-contact sport, the greater the risk they have for developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It is also believed that this is developed through repeated brain injury and inflammation within the brain. A protein called the tau protein has been discovered, and this is a molecule that forms deposits and distinct tangles in a brain with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This discovery is huge and these molecules that are in the inflammation can actually help to possibly diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy in people who are still living. It is also known that there are different stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The first and least severe stage is associated with headaches and some difficulty concentrating more than anything else. It is not until the second stage of the disease that people struggle with managing their emotions. At this point, people may have mood swings, depression, short-term memory loss and some problems with language. In Stage 3 and 4 of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the emotional, cognitive and memory symptoms that emerge in Stage 2 worsen. In Stage 4, people can experience dementia symptoms that might be confused for those stemming from Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Current research is still going on in hopes of understanding more more about issues …show more content…

I especially feel as if parents or guardians of children should be especially aware of this issue. It is very important for parents or guardians to understand the risks involved of allowing children to participate in contact sports. I feel as if educating those who are at risk will be most beneficial in helping people. This research should also be given to medical professionals so they can help people who are possibly being affected by chronic traumatic encephalopathy or are at high risk. The more people educated, the more knowledge about chronic traumatic encephalopathy there is, which is a very important

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