American football is well known for the Super Bowl and its games on Thanksgiving. Long considered the most popular sport in America by Ranker, football is famous for its violent nature, which is one reason the sport is so exhilarating for fans. However, football is also infamous for long-term deterioration of health. Among public perception, one common culprit is concussions, but according to a Cleveland Clinic study, former football players are also at higher risks for heart problems resulting from enlarged aortas.
The aorta, which is the largest artery in the human body, is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body and is extremely important for blood circulation. When and if the aorta enlarges, there is an elevated risk for an aneurysm, or a weakened artery that, if ruptured, can cause fatal bleeding.
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Dr. Christopher Maroules and his researchers at the Cleveland Clinic studied 206 retired NFL, or National Football League, players. Using a CT scan, which provided imaging of the heart, the researchers compared these players’ hearts to those of a control group consisting of men with similar age and body mass index. They discovered that 30% of the football players had aortas with larger than normal diameters in contrast to only 8.6% of the control group.
The increased risk for enlarged aortas is especially important because we now know that some of the long-term effects of football include trauma not only to the brain but also to the heart. However, doctors still need to continue exploring this phenomenon. Dr. Maroules postulates that because the blood vessels change after engaging in violent sports such as football, there may be many unknown side effects that make the issue more complex to treat. Football may be America’s greatest pastime, but we all need to be cautious of its potentially harmful effects.
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