Dementia pugilistica (DP) and Boxing Related Cranial Injuries

Background: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.6 to 3.8 million of the traumatic brain injuries that occur annually in the United States are sports-related. Epidemiological studies have suggested a link between cognitive decline in the later stages of adulthood and sports concussions received in earlier stages of adulthood. The repetitive head trauma resulting from the many blows a boxer receives in each match may put professional boxers at increased risk of dementia pugilistica (DP) in later life. Purpose/objectives: A structured literature review was conducted for the purpose of assessing the relationship between boxing-related cranial injuries and dementia in later life. Methods: The literature search was conducted using the Ovid SP database, using the keywords “concussion”, “dementia”, “pugilistica”, “boxing”, and “professional”. The search was limited to English text and human research from 2009 to present. Results: The initial literature search resulted in 8 relevant articles, which matched the inclusion criteria. Analysis of the study results revealed that 7 of 8 papers reviewed reported a statistically significant association between boxing-related cranial injuries and the symptoms of dementia. Conclusions: The evidence indicates that a correlation may exist between repetitive cranial injuries and dementia in boxers. Further research should be conducted, and should include the implementation of a more rigorous standardized set of diagnostic criteria to control for the limitations set out by past studies