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Contact Sports As A Risk Factor For Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review., Ronen Blecher, Michael A Elliott, Emre Yilmaz, Joseph R Dettori, Rod J Oskouian, Akil P Patel, Andrew Clarke, Mike Hutton, Robert Mcguire, Robert Dunn, John Devine, Bruce Twaddle, Jens R Chapman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Study Design: Systematic review.

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, ultimately resulting in paralysis and death. The condition is considered to be caused by a complex interaction between environmental and genetic factors. Although vast genetic research has deciphered many of the molecular factors in ALS pathogenesis, the environmental factors have remained largely unknown. Recent evidence suggests that participation in certain types of sporting activities are associated with increased risk for ALS.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that competitive sports at the highest level that involve repetitive concussive head and cervical spinal trauma result in an increased …