London, December 7 (BUS): A saliva test designed to diagnose concussion is due to be tested in the Premier League.
A joint action plan on brain health published by the league, along with the Football Association, the Professional Footballers’ Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association, details the work being done to protect current footballers from concussion and the effects of concussion, and to understand the cause. There is an increased risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases among professional football players compared to the general population.
It confirms that the Premier League is funding an academic study to validate a diagnostic tool that uses salivary biomarkers, and it is understood that the trial could begin later this season, the dpa reports.
The plan said players would provide baseline smears, and then at three more time points after a concussion. Comparative swabs will be taken from an uninjured player and another player who has sustained a musculoskeletal injury in the same match or training session.
The plan read: “Phase one of this research will be carried out over a three-year period, with interim and final results jointly reviewed by football stakeholders to inform future concussion protocols.”
It comes after results from the SCRUM study were published in March, which showed that the saliva biomarker tool was able to accurately detect concussions in elite male rugby players.
That study, led by academics at the University of Birmingham, successfully predicted the outcome of head injury assessments (HIAs) in 94 per cent of cases during testing in the 2018-19 Premier League and Championship season.
Birmingham researchers said at the time of the study’s publication that the technology behind rapid testing for coronavirus could be harnessed to enable in-game vital sign tests and provide an objective diagnosis of concussion, along with existing assessment techniques.
The 2019 FIELD study, led by academics at the University of Glasgow, concluded that football players were three and a half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than individuals in the general population, leading to an increased focus on concussion management. And the concussion effect of the repetitive head in the game.
The FA’s BrainHOPE study, which will start next year, will also be conducted by the University of Glasgow, and will analyze the deterioration of cognitive function in former players to understand potential early interventions that could help reduce the risk or speed of developing dementia. The study, which secured 1.2 million pounds ($1.6 million) in funding, continues through the 2024-25 season.
The FA is also partnering with Rugby Football Union and Premier Rugby to expand the Advanced Brain Health Clinic to retired footballers in 2022.
It will give former gamers access to specialized clinical services in an effort to proactively manage the health of their brains after retirement.
Current and former footballers, along with their families, are being consulted on the action plan, as their feedback helps shape an updated version that will be published before the start of next season.
The English game introduced new limits to high-powered heads in training for the professional and senior game at the start of this season. This was partly reported from a trial of a mouthguard funded by the Premier League in the latter part of last season.
The plan also emphasized the extension of that trial to the current campaign.
In 2020, the FA published guidance on switching to under-18 football, while the FA, Premier League and EFL are testing additional alternatives to concussion in their competitions.