Audley Harrison, 47, was a formidable opponent in the boxing ring. At the 2000 olympics, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division and became the first ever British boxer to win Olympic gold in that division. Not content with breaking one record, he also became the first boxer to win two Prizefighter tournaments. Despite his successive wins, the constant pummelling in the ring forced him to hang up his gloves after he sustained permanent brain injuries.
In a statement back in 2015, the boxing champ said: “I looked at the latest research into concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries [TBIs].
“After years of denial and sticking to my guns, I’m finally getting out of my own way. As tough as it is to say this – it’s time to stop.
“I’ve suffered a few TBIs and will have to work hard to reverse some of the effects taking punches to the head has brought to my overall health.”
The boxing great revealed the extent of his injuries and the impact it has had on his body: “I have vision problems, vestibular injuries that lead to balance disturbances, and have bouts of serious irritability and moodiness that come with TBI recovery.
According to the NHS, symptoms of a head injury may include:
- Unconsciousness – where a person has collapsed and is unresponsive, even for a brief period of time
- Concussion – a sudden but short-lived loss of mental function that occurs after a blow or another injury to the head; a person with concussion may have A glazed look or appear confused, but won’t necessarily be unconscious
- Fits or seizures
- Difficulty speaking or staying awake
- Problems with the senses – such as hearing loss or double vision
- Repeated episodes of vomiting
- Blood or clear fluid coming from the ears or nose
- Memory loss (amnesia)
- Sudden swelling or bruising around both eyes or behind the ear
- Difficulty with walking or co-ordination
Growing evidence is increasingly linking brain damage to a number of other serious health complications. One study found that Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease earlier in life, according to a study from UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.
The research – the first to use autopsy-confirmed cases of Alzheimer’s disease to examine the long-term effects of head injuries – supports a correlation that could only be speculated about in previous studies, which lacked definitive diagnostic methods.
An analysis of more than 2,100 cases found that people who sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) with loss of consciousness greater than five minutes were diagnosed with dementia on average 2 1/2 years earlier than those who had not experienced TBI.
The study findings come amid growing fears that contact sports hike the risk of brain damage.
But study authors warn they still don’t know the specific processes by which TBI appears to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and are unable to predict in individual cases who is more likely to develop dementia later in life.
“We need to be aware that brain injury is a risk factor, but parents shouldn’t keep their kids out of sports because they fear a concussion will lead to dementia,” said Dr. Munro Cullum, a neuropsychologist who oversaw the study and is leading the nation’s largest statewide effort to track concussions in youth sports.
Dr Cullum added: ”This is a piece to the puzzle, a step in the direction of understanding how the two are linked.”
The study published in Neuropsychology differs from previous studies on the degree of the association, with some reporting TBI history can accelerate onset of Alzheimer’s by up to nine years and other research finding no relationship between the two. However, those studies used less definitive methods to diagnose dementia, which raises the possibility they included data from patients who didn’t have Alzheimer’s disease.
As the NHS explained, proactive measures can be taken to mitigate the risk of developing brain damage.
These include:
- Ensuring the home (or those of elderly relatives) is free of trip hazards that could cause a fall, such as loose carpets or unnecessary items on the floor
- Childproofing the home – for example, by ensuring young children can’t reach windows or balconies
- Using the right safety equipment for work, sport and DIY
“Wearing a safety helmet during certain activities, such as skiing or cycling, may also help to prevent a serious head injury,” he added.