Mayo Clinic finds retired NFL players at increased risk for heart problems

Observing these serious trends, the Mayo Clinic researchers undertook the study to define vascular health and, by association, cardiovascular risk in retired NFL players. To determine vascular health, the Mayo team conducted multisite screening events with the help of players’ associations. Investigators measured the internal diameter of the carotid artery. They also assessed plaque deposits which can block blood flow.

The most striking results showed that:

• In players less than 50 years old, 82 percent had either plaque or carotid narrowing greater than the 75th percentile of the population, adjusted for age, sex and race. This represents a dangerous level of narrowing that could lead to a catastrophic reduction of blood flow resulting in heart attack or stroke.
  
  
• Heart disease had not been previously diagnosed in these players. Nor had they experienced symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain upon exertion.
  
  
• As a result, the players did not know that they were at serious risk of heart attack or stroke, or that they needed to make lifestyle changes or start medical therapy to improve the capacity of their cardiovascular systems to maintain blood flow.
  
  

The Mayo research team concluded that because test results showed evidence of asymptomatic narrowing of the arteries -- called atherosclerosis -- the retired NFL players are at abnormally high risk for an adverse cardiovascular event, as compared with people of the same age in the general population. In addition, the high incidence of plaque found in players’ vessels suggests that the increased narrowing is not solely due to increased body mass index. Further research is needed to explain this. In the meantime, football players will benefit from regular cardiovascular screening. “Effective therapies are available to help players avoid serious cardiovascular problems later in life, but players need to take that first step of seeking out screening programs to identify those at risk,” Dr. Khandheria says.

Collaboration and Support

Other Mayo Clinic researchers are Erik Wissner, M.D.; Robert Burke, M.D.; and Chris Kendall, all of Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. Their work was supported by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

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