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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Ann Neurol. 2018 May;83(5):886–901. doi: 10.1002/ana.25245

Table 1.

Sample Characteristics of the Deceased Tackle Football Players

CTE+
(N = 211)		 No CTE
(N = 35)		 AFE < 12
(n = 84)		 AFE ≥ 12
(n = 127)		 ap-value
DEMOGRAPHIC/ATHLETIC
Age of death, mean (SD) years 62.91 (17.91) 42.17 (22.40) 53.45 (16.91) 69.17 (15.72) <0.001
Race, n (%) African American 41 (19.5) 4 (11.4) 19 (22.9) 22 (17.3) 0.32b
Education Level, n (%) 0.80c
 Less than high school/some high school 2 (1.0) 4 (11.8) 1 (1.2) 1 (0.8)
 High school/GED 4 (1.9) 7 (20.6) 1 (1.2) 3 (2.4)
 Some college 47 (22.4) 11 (32.4) 20 (23.8) 27 (21.4)
 College degree 106 (50.5) 5 (14.7) 38 (45.2) 68 (54.0)
 More than college 10 (4.8) 0 4 (4.8) 6 (4.8)
 Graduate degree 41 (19.5) 7 (20.6) 20 (23.8) 21 (16.7)
Years of football play, mean (SD) 15.07 (5.56) 8.07 (4.56) 16.73 (5.60) 13.97 (5.27) <0.001
Decade of football play, mean (SD)d 5.78 (1.68) 7.74 (2.19) 6.42 (1.70) 5.36 (1.54) <0.001
Age of first exposure to football, mean (SD) 11.84 (2.93) 11.26 (2.76) 8.79 (1.67) 13.86 (1.45) <0.001
Highest level played, n (%) yes <0.001e
 Pre-/high school 11 (5.2) 18 (51.4) 5 (6.0) 6 (4.7)
 College 57 (27.0) 9 (25.7) 36 (42.9) 21 (16.5)
 Semi-professional 10 (4.7) 5 (14.3) 3 (3.6) 7 (5.5)
 Professional 133 (63.0) 3 (8.6) 40 (47.6) 93 (73.2)
Football primary position, n (%) 0.61f
 Lineman (OL/DL) 72 (34.3) 10 (31.3) 27 (32.1) 45 (35.7)
 Linebacker 23 (11.0) 3 (9.4) 14 (16.7) 9 (7.1)
 Defensive back/safety 23 (11.0) 2 (6.3) 12 (14.3) 11 (8.7)
 Running back 34 (16.2) 1 (3.1) 9 (10.7) 25 (19.8)
 Quarterback 10 (4.8) 3 (9.4) 4 (4.8) 6 (4.8)
 Special teams 15 (7.1) 4 (12.5) 4 (4.8) 11 (8.7)
 Other/multiple 14 (6.7) 6 (18.8) 5 (6.0) 9 (7.1)
 Wide receiver 4 (1.9) 0 2 (2.4) 2 (1.6)
 Unknown 15 (7.1) 3 (9.4) 7 (8.3) 8 (6.3)
Other contact sport history, n (%) any 36 (17.1) 9 (25.7) 15 (17.9) 21 (16.5) 0.80
Military history, n (%) yes 53 (25.2) 8 (22.9) 12 (14.3) 41 (32.5) 0.003
MEDICAL/LIFESTYLE, n (%)
Heart attack 38 (21.2) 5 (16.7) 11 (15.3) 27 (25.2) 0.11
Hypertension 95 (53.4) 9 (30.0) 30 (42.9) 65 (60.2) 0.024
Elevated cholesterol 62 (35.2) 11 (36.7) 23 (32.9) 39 (36.8) 0.59
Diabetes 31 (17.2) 3 (10.0) 8 (11.4) 23 (20.9) 0.10
Stroke 23 (12.8) 4 (13.3) 3 (4.2) 20 (18.5) 0.005
Alcohol abuse 85 (40.7) 16 (45.7) 36 (43.4) 49 (38.9) 0.52
Illicit drug use 79 (37.6) 20 (57.1) 39 (47.0) 40 (31.5) 0.023
Steroid use 8 (5.8) 2 (10.0) 2 (3.6) 6 (7.1) 0.39
CLINICAL STATUS
Age of cognitive symptom onset, mean (SD) 53.28 (17.12) 43.08 (20.48) 45.65 (16.14) 58.11 (15.99) <0.001
Age of behavioral/mood symptom onset, mean (SD) 46.28 (19.36) 35.54 (18.22) 38.97 (17.38) 50.96 (19.18) <0.001
Tremor, n (%) yes 60 (28.7) 10 (28.6) 20 (24.1) 40 (31.7) 0.23
Falls, n (%) yes 73 (35.1) 9 (25.7) 20 (24.4) 53 (42.1) 0.009
Gait disturbance, n (%) yes 98 (46.9) 10 (28.6) 32 (38.6) 66 (52.4) 0.050
a

Examined differences between AFE groups in the CTE participants. Independent sample t-tests examined between AFE group differences for age of death, years of tackle football play, age of first exposure, decade of play, and age of cognitive and behavioral/mood symptom onset. Chi-square analysis was used for the remaining variables, with the exception of stage of CTE for which logistic regression was used to control for age of death.

b

Compared African American vs. other;

c

compared college degree or greater vs. others;

d

0 = 1900s, 1 = 1910s, 2 = 1920s, 3 = 1930s, 4 = 1940s, 5 = 1950s, 6 = 1970s, 7 = 1980s, 9 = 1990s, and 10 = 2000s. No participant played before 1920s;

e

compared professional vs. others;

f

compared lineman vs. others, excluding other/multiple or unknown.

Missing data: CTE—N = 210 for race, education level, position, military history, and illicit drug use; N = 179 for heart attack and stroke; N = 178 for hypertension; N = 176 for elevated cholesterol; N = 180 for diabetes; N = 209 for alcohol abuse, tremor, and gait disturbance; N = 139 for steroid use; N = 208 for falls. No CTE—N = 34 for education level, years of football, decade of play, and age of first exposure; N = 32 for position; N = 30 for heart attack, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and stroke; N = 20 for steroid use.