8193786 Cohort mortality study of former professional footballers in England and wales (MORSE Study)

<h3>Objective</h3> Evidence is growing that former professional athletes, in particular association footballers, are at an increased risk of neurological disorders compared with the general population. A study of over 7,000 former professional footballers in Scotland found a 5-fold relative risk of mortality from Alzheimer’s disease compared to the general population RR 5.07 (95% CI: 2.92-8.82). Similarly, an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease was reported in a study in Sweden containing around 6,000 former footballers: HR 1.62 (1.47-1.58). A French study examined mortality from dementia in around 6,000 former professional footballers and found a RR 3.38 (2.49-4.46). We aimed to carry out a similar study in England. <h3>Materials and Method</h3> Mortality rates of this cohort are being compared to those of the general population. Additionally, the effects of the length of a player’s professional career is being investigated. We are using an exposure matrix https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463923001268) developed for a cross-sectional study of cognition in former professional footballers to estimate footballers’ lifetime history of heading footballs and other head-related impacts during training and playing. This is allowing an internal analysis where we can compare the neurological mortality in those who headed footballs more with those that headed them less. <h3>Results</h3> We have identified a cohort of over 22,000 former professional footballers in England from http://barryhugmansfootballers.com/ and have supplemented missing player career details using other sources. <h3>Conclusions</h3> This study is more powerful than the previous three studies combined and for the first time will incorporate an exposure assessment for heading footballs and other head impacts into its analysis.