February 12, 2007
By Davin White
Staff writer
The Charleston (WV) Gazette
MORGANTOWN — Dr. Julian Bailes, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University, is no stranger to high-profile cases involving brain injury.
Bailes was among the physicians working with Randal McCloy Jr. in the days, weeks and months following the Sago Mine explosion in early January 2006. His work also was noted in national media reports after the suicide death of Andre Waters, a former NFL player who suffered numerous concussions.
Bailes, also the medical director at the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, and his colleagues at this North Carolina-based research center have found that mild cognitive impairment, a dementia precursor, is more common among pro football players.
The conversion rate from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia is about 20 percent, Bailes said. MCI is most common in the elderly.
“We found that both MCI and depression were more prevalent in retired NFL players than in the general population,” he said. A threshold of three or more concussions and the odds “astronomically went up.”
“So once you get that third one, you know, it seems that the long-term health consequences are much higher,” he said.
Bailes was a team physician for nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has served as the neurological consultant to the NFL Players’ Association since 1993.
He also was featured in a recent issue of the journal Neurosurgery, which reported that a computerized approach to counting punches at ringside during boxing matches helps identify certain characteristics related to deaths in the ring.
Bailes and Dr. Vincent J. Miele compared 10 bouts that led to the death of a fighter against 10 “classic,” highly competitive matches. They found that significantly more punches (and “power punches”) were landed per round in the fatal fights than in the classics.
The researchers hope the computerized statistical program used to score televised bouts might help stop one-sided fights before critical injury occurs.
By Davin White
Staff writer
The Charleston (WV) Gazette
MORGANTOWN — Dr. Julian Bailes, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University, is no stranger to high-profile cases involving brain injury.
Bailes was among the physicians working with Randal McCloy Jr. in the days, weeks and months following the Sago Mine explosion in early January 2006. His work also was noted in national media reports after the suicide death of Andre Waters, a former NFL player who suffered numerous concussions.
Bailes, also the medical director at the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, and his colleagues at this North Carolina-based research center have found that mild cognitive impairment, a dementia precursor, is more common among pro football players.
The conversion rate from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia is about 20 percent, Bailes said. MCI is most common in the elderly.
“We found that both MCI and depression were more prevalent in retired NFL players than in the general population,” he said. A threshold of three or more concussions and the odds “astronomically went up.”
“So once you get that third one, you know, it seems that the long-term health consequences are much higher,” he said.
Bailes was a team physician for nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has served as the neurological consultant to the NFL Players’ Association since 1993.
He also was featured in a recent issue of the journal Neurosurgery, which reported that a computerized approach to counting punches at ringside during boxing matches helps identify certain characteristics related to deaths in the ring.
Bailes and Dr. Vincent J. Miele compared 10 bouts that led to the death of a fighter against 10 “classic,” highly competitive matches. They found that significantly more punches (and “power punches”) were landed per round in the fatal fights than in the classics.
The researchers hope the computerized statistical program used to score televised bouts might help stop one-sided fights before critical injury occurs.
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