Correspondence (letter to the editor): Chronic Damage Has Been Underestimated

The review article „Boxing—Acute Complications and Late Sequelae“ provides valuable information on the acute sequelae and the risks to professional boxers as well as amateur boxers. However, the authors seemed to me to underestimate the chronic harms associated with professional boxing. In my doctoral dissertation, “The schizophrenias after craniocerebral trauma”, Bochum 2006, I cited a study reported by Mendez (1995), which found in about half of 224 randomly selected former British professional boxers some kind of cerebral damage; the clinical indicators included in 40% of cases balance impairment, dysarthria, or alcohol misuse. Mid to late stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was seen in 17%. 50–60% of the professional boxers had cerebral or cerebellar atrophy or ventricular enlargement on CCT. Of note is also the significantly higher proportion of boxers (compared with the general population) with cavum septi pellucidi (in 23% vs up to 5.4%). Cordeiro and de Oliveira (2001) confirmed in a literature review the findings reported by Mendez (1995).