A Life of a Footballer Kevin Turner - Research Paper Example

?Article Analysis Introduction A concussion is a brain injury which is caused by repeated head blows. A concussion can result in loss of consciousness, headaches, long or less hours of sleep, moodiness and loss of recognition. Anyone who experiences more than one concussion can take a longer period to recover (Lazar, 2010).This article discusses a life of an excellent footballer Kevin Turner. He suffered two concussions when playing football; they were so serious that at one time he could not even remember which city he was playing in. Turner was later diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder thought to have resulted from the two concussions he had suffered. Assumptions The researchers involved in this case make numerous assumptions concerning the impact of concussions on the development of ALS and CTE symptoms. The assumptions made by researcher might contribute to the misdiagnosis of various patients showing the symptoms. Among the notable assumptions are the following: Concussions lead to development of the symptoms of ALS and CTE. Trauma could lead to development of the ALS condition. The number of concussions might lead to development of the symptoms of ALS. Risk factors leading to ALS condition once individuals suffer multiple concussions. Arguments The arguments of researchers within this research mainly focus on the condition experienced by footballers. Though the researchers refer to conditions experienced by other footballers, Turner’s case appears to have driven the researchers into trying to conduct the research regarding connection between concussions and ALS or CTE conditions. Turner experienced a drastic change from a well organized, intelligent, and loving husband to a shabby and lazy man. Depression and stress coupled with other problems appeared to completely drive Turner’s life towards destruction, and family members thought this was a result of lifestyle changes experienced after retiring from football. McKee, however, notes that these changes in behaviour and personality seem structural, eliminating the possibility of psychological problems. Numerous footballers had been diagnosed with CTE through autopsy, and family members thought the same could be affecting Turner. Appel, however, fails to concur with the deductions made by McKee, claiming that these deductions lack scientific proof to support them. According to Appel, the number of concussions necessary to prove diagnoses of CTE remains scientifically unknown, as well as the risk factors involved in developing of CTE following multiple concussions (McCrory, 2001). Appel completely fails to see the logic behind concluding presence of CTE in an individual who had recovered from concussions several years back. Appel’s argument remains that, since science has not yet proved the relationship between CTE and concussions, the deductions made by McKee require further clarification. Though he does not refuse the possibility of the individual acquiring CTE, he fails to link the condition to the concussions suffered. Appel also seems to suspect that the brains inspected by McKee had both ALS and CTE conditions. He however, wonders how ALS could become connected to concussions, since thirty years of scientific research have failed to prove any possible connections. These researches also fail to provide any link between trauma and ALS, hence magnification of Appel’s doubts on McKee’s observations. These doubts instil fear of having patients being misdiagnosed, as might be the case with McKee’s deductions. McKee also doubts her own conclusions by not being sure whether the presence of tau and TDP-43 proteins within the brain might have caused ASL (McKee, 2010). This conclusion becomes supported by the observation she makes in the individuals who have previously suffered multiple concussions. While some people, having suffered multiple concussions, suffer from ASL others never show the symptoms of ASL. This makes it difficult to ascertain whether concussions really cause ASL. Though people’s bodies react differently when subjected to similar conditions, all people having multiple concussions ought to suffer from ASL to conclusively conclude that concussions cause ASL. The author of the article employs different argument techniques (including the inductive one) in the research and conclusion performed by McKee. Following the changes experienced by the patient physically, the researcher deduces that there might be CTE present, and after researching disputes this deduction as an assumption owing to the lack of an autopsy (Kwong, 2008). Deductive arguments appear in the arguments made by family members and other non-professionals within the medical field. These individuals make observations of football players who suffered concussions during their careers, and were later diagnosed with CTE. They conclusively argue that since the subject suffered concussions playing football, he could also become affected by CTE after retirement. Another argument present in this research is a red herring – Appel describes the vastness of his personal knowledge of matters concerning ALS and CTE, compared to that of McKee and colleagues. He shifts attention away from the process into describing his worries from receiving calls from patients worried of misdiagnosis. His vast knowledge and experience fail to critique the process and evaluation, but rather point at the possible effects of wrong diagnosis. He follows with appeal to emotion argument in refuting McKee’s research without evidence. Possession of vast knowledge cannot justify correctness of scientific conclusions made by Appel. Research design The research design employed by McKee et al (2010) was a case study design. The sample studied remains relatively small compared to the population of individuals suffering from the disease under research. The utilisation of a small sample could potentially provide inconclusive results. The ethical concern within such study designs remains the capability of the participants to agree in becoming parts of the study sample. Being individuals suffering from a condition, concerns should be made towards providing them with medical care and not using them as research sample. Like Appel pointed out, misdiagnosis of these individuals during research could become catastrophic. The responsibility of the researchers, therefore, remains ensuring that the research provides objective and accurate results for the sick individuals. This journal was intended for the general public that might be concerned about the impacts of the identified conditions. This is evident in the researchers seeking the personal views of family members concerning the situation ailing Turner. Their views could potentially represent the general public, which has limited knowledge of the syndromes (Bigler, 2008). Researchers seek to demystify the diseases to the public. The language used within the journal remains layman’s language free of any medical jargon. The researchers have explained all the terminologies that might confuse the public. The letter The issues addressed by the ideologies presented in this article clearly communicate important messages about two neural conditions to the public. Though the article utilises a footballer, the conclusion remains clear that concussions could potentially lead to someone contacting CTE or ALS conditions. The causative elements of these syndromes are concussions and other related head injuries. Though both CTE and ALS are degenerative diseases, each of these diseases has different symptoms. Proper investigation and assessment of patients should, therefore, be undertaken to minimise instances of misdiagnosing these ailments. As observed by Appel, misdiagnosis of these diseases could cause potential panic when patients suspect or became aware of the misdiagnosis. Objective research ought to be undertaken in trying to pursue the causative elements of these illnesses that appear so closely related. Though the ideas presented by neurologists and other professionals remain fundamental, research studies carried out by individuals interested in informing the public should be supported in order to assist in gaining meaningful information concerning the conditions. The support of such research studies could provide essential information aimed at informing the public concerning the diseases. Another concern for such researches remains the capability to deliver insightful investigation into the causative agents and the discrepancies existing between the diseases, eliminating the possibility of misdiagnosis. The impacts caused by concussions on individuals could be established following investigations into the long-term and short-term effects of these concussions. The relationship existing between ALS and CTE, if any, could be established with rigorous studies of the causative agents of the syndromes. Researchers should seek to further the existing researches concerning the topics surrounding these closely related conditions. In these studies, however, the objectivity of researchers will remain essential in minimising researchers’ influence on the outcome of the studies. The touching story of Turner informs the public about the devastating situations that retired sportsmen undergo as a result of the activities they involve themselves in during their playing career. While not all people might suffer from CTE following concussions, the impact of these concussions should not be ignored (Daneshvar et al., 2011). The few individuals who suffer the effects of CTE should become the beginning point of researching of the impacts of concussions. The hopes of interested researchers like McKee of finding existing relationship between ALS and concussions should be supported efficiently. Instead of being discouraged, such researchers need to be supported from all directions to ensure they achieve meaningful results. Offering support to such researcher could potentially offer a solution in future to the existing difficulties in distinguishing the causes of these diseases. With more volunteers like Turner, these researchers could gain useful resources to utilise in various research studies. References Bigler E.D. (2008). Neuropsychology and clinical neuroscience of persistent post-concussive syndrome. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 14 (1), 1–22. Daneshvar D.H., Nowinski C.J., McKee A.C., & Cantu R.C. (January 2011). The epidemiology of sport-related concussion. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 30 (1), 1–17 Kwong L.K., Uryu K., Trojanowski J.Q., & Lee V.M. (2008). TDP-43 proteinopathies: neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases without amyloidosis. Neurosignals 16 (1), 41–51 Lazar, K.  (2010, November 19). ALS- in former athletes questioned. White Coat Notes. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2010/11/als- like_diseas.html McCrory P. (2001). Does second impact syndrome exist? Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 11 (3), 144–149. McKee A.C., Gavett, Brandon E., Stern, Robert A., Nowinski, Christopher J., Cantu, Robert C., Kowall, Neil W., . . . Perl, Daniel P. (September 2010). TDP-43 proteinopathy and motor neuron disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 69(9), 918-929. 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