Preventing brain injury

Professional American football exposure is linked to a higher Parkinson’s death risk and increased neurodegenerative mortality among former players, research suggests. Former running back Ahman Green recently revealed that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Before his diagnosis, Green experienced involuntary foot twitching during sleep and subtle short-term memory problems.   [...]

Stroke risk factors are rising faster among Black African and Caribbean people than their white counterparts, analysis of 30 years of data suggests. Researchers at King’s College London analysed data from more than 8,500 adults in the South London Stroke Register over three decades. It is one of the world’s longest-running population-based stroke registers. [...]

A temporary gene pattern may help explain neck artery tears that cause one in five strokes in people aged under 55. The findings could help identify people at risk of cervical artery dissection and inform ways to prevent strokes in younger adults. A cervical artery dissection is a tear in the wall of an artery [...]

A new daily pill cut repeat stroke risk by 40 per cent in people who had already suffered a brain bleed, a major trial has found. The findings came from a study of stroke survivors with high blood pressure, one of the biggest risk factors for another stroke or other cardiovascular problems. Patients in the [...]

By Steven Akerman, Brian Barr Solicitors The UK Government’s newly announced road safety strategy, which aims to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by 65 per cent by 2035, is a significant and welcome development. For those of us who work closely with the consequences of road traffic collisions every day, this announcement represents both [...]

Nearly all strokes and heart attacks follow one of four risk factors, new research shows. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and tobacco smoking, whether past or current. Together, they preceded 99 per cent of all cardiovascular events during a long-term study that analysed health data from more than 9 million [...]

Concussion history predicts long-term health risks in former NFL players better than years played or position, new research suggests. A study of more than 1,500 former players found that two commonly used ways to estimate head injury risk were not linked to poorer long-term physical or mental health. Researchers say directly assessing a player's concussion [...]

This blog was written thanks to the expertise of the Brian Barr Solicitors team, including Alex Cohen, Philip Cohen and Steven Akerman, leading experts in compensation claims for chronic pain and serious injury. Road Safety Week is a time to stop and reflect – not just on the numbers, but on the people behind them. [...]

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in older adults are associated with a 69 per cent higher risk of developing dementia within five years, new research has found. The study analysed data from more than 260,000 adults aged 65 and older between April 2004 and March 2020, following them until dementia diagnosis, March 2021, or death. It [...]

Patients with atrial fibrillation living in food deserts face more than double the risk of ischaemic stroke and nearly four times the risk of death, new research has found. Food deserts – areas where residents live more than a mile from a full-service supermarket – were linked to worse outcomes in people with irregular heart [...]