Authors
Rachel Grashow, Marc G Weisskopf, Karen K Miller, David M Nathan, Ross Zafonte, Frank E Speizer, Theodore K Courtney, Aaron Baggish, Herman A Taylor, Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Lee M Nadler, Andrea L Roberts
Publication date
2019/12/1
Journal
JAMA neurology
Volume
76
Issue
12
Pages
1428-1438
Publisher
American Medical Association
Description
Importance
Small studies suggest that head trauma in men may be associated with low testosterone levels and sexual dysfunction through mechanisms that likely include hypopituitarism secondary to ischemic injury and pituitary axonal tract damage. Athletes in contact sports may be at risk for pituitary insufficiencies or erectile dysfunction (ED) because of the high number of head traumas experienced during their careers. Whether multiple symptomatic concussive events are associated with later indicators of low testosterone levels and ED is unknown.
Objective
To explore the associations between concussion symptom history and participant-reported indicators of low testosterone levels and ED.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This cross-sectional study of former professional US-style football players was conducted in Boston, Massachusetts, from January 2015 to March 2017. Surveys on past football exposures …
Scholar articles
R Grashow, MG Weisskopf, KK Miller, DM Nathan… - JAMA neurology, 2019