Table 1.
Sample characteristics of 86 former NFL players and 23 controls
| Demographic/athletic/health variables | NFL (n = 86) | Control (n = 23) | P value∗ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age, mean (SD) years | 54.86 (7.91) | 57.22 (6.89) | .20 |
| Education, mean (SD) years | 16.43 (0.97) | 17.30 (2.14) | .07 |
| African American, n (%) | 36 (41.9) | 1 (4.3) | <.001 |
| Athletics | |||
| Duration of football play, mean (SD) years | 18.41 (3.44) | – | – |
| Cumulative head impact index, mean (SD) | 20,489.97 (7178.64) | – | – |
| Primary position group, n (%) | |||
| Offensive line | 25 (29.1) | – | – |
| Running back | 8 (9.3) | – | – |
| Tight end | 4 (4.7) | – | – |
| Offensive skill | 1 (1.2) | – | – |
| Defensive line | 13 (15.1) | – | – |
| Linebacker | 20 (23.3) | – | – |
| Defensive back | 15 (17.4) | – | – |
| Cardiovascular disease status | |||
| Body mass index, mean (SD) | 32.96 (4.99) | 28.02 (3.90) | <.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD) | 129.70 (15.78) | 135.09 (12.94) | .14 |
| Treated for hypertension, n (% yes) | 57 (66.3) | 17 (73.9) | .49 |
| History of diabetes, n (% yes) | 7 (8.1) | 1 (4.3) | 1.00 |
| History of cigarette smoking, n (% yes) | 3 (3.5) | 0 | 1.00 |
| History of cardiovascular disease, n (% yes) | 10 (11.6) | 0 | .12 |
| History of atrial fibrillation, n (% yes) | 4 (4.7) | 0 | .58 |
| †Modified Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, mean (SD) | 6.42 (3.34) | 6.39 (2.50) | .97 |
Abbreviations: NFL, National Football League; SD, standard deviation.
NOTE. Eligibility criteria for the control group required lack of reported symptoms and no history of head trauma or participation in contact sports.
∗
Independent sample t tests were performed for continuous outcomes, and Fisher's exact test was used to compare group differences in race, history of diabetes, history of cigarette smoking, history of cardiovascular disease, and history of atrial fibrillation; χ2 test was used to examine differences on those treated for hypertension.
†
The Framingham Stroke Risk Profile is a modified version and did not include left ventricular hypertrophy.