Blows to young heads blight lives

Blows to the head suffered when young may be putting almost one in 10 people in the UK at increased risk of a blighted or shortened life, research suggests.

A large-scale study has shown that even apparently mild head injuries can have potentially devastating long term effects, including an increased risk of disability, psychiatric problems, low educational attainment and even early death.

Many of those affected will have sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) while playing contact sports such as football or rugby. But scientists stressed the low “absolute” risk of being hit on the head and experiencing such repercussions, and said a balance had to be struck between the benefits and hazards of sport.

Researchers used national registries to study the progress of more than a million Swedes born between 1973 and 1985 up to the age of 41.

Some 9.1% were found to have suffered at least one TBI caused by a blow to the head before their 25th birthday. Compared with people who had not experienced a head injury, these individuals were 76% more likely to have qualified for disability payments, meaning they could not work.

They were also 58% more likely to have achieved a low level of education, almost twice as likely to have a psychiatric problem, and 72% more likely to have died prematurely.