Did Lou Gehrig not die from Lou Gehrig's disease?

[11 Bravo]

A recent study indicates that possible repeated TBI (traumatic brain injuries) may have been the cause of the degenerative muscle symptoms to which Gehrig eventually succumbed.
He played Major League Baseball in the pre-helmet era, and was beaned on at least seven occasions. He also played high school and college football when players wore thin leather helmets.


(And how long before our grunts returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with TBIs suffer a similar fate?)

[LaurenG]

1. Maybe but there is no way to know - he was cremated. nt

[Steven_S]

2. He most likely did...

The article in the NYT was very misleading, as was the MSM reports that I saw. This is from an MDA newsletter I get:

A new study has claimed professional athletes who have sustained repeated head injuries and developed what's known as "chronic traumatic encephalopathy" (CTE) may also be at higher-than-average risk for developing a motor neuron disease that resembles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or is a subtype of ALS.

The two diseases may be part of a continuum of nervous-system pathology that can start with repeated head trauma and ultimately involve the brain and spinal cord, resulting in cognitive, behavioral and motor abnormalities, the study's investigators say.

However, says neurologist Stan Appel, who directs the MDA/ALS Center at Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston and chairs MDA's Medical Advisory Committee, the study was very small, and the results should be interpreted with extreme caution.


Some troops are certain to be more inclined to suffer CTE/MND.

[Old and In the Way]

3. My mom died from ALS

Just a horrible, horrible disease. We wonder about a car accident she had a year earlier than her diagnosis. While the car was wrecked, she came out relatively scratchless...she did bang her head and had a bandly bruised arm. She was pretty vibrant up to the point of her diagnosis...she went to her Dr. because she found herself stumbling frequently.

[Happyhippychick]

4. My dad died from ALS. Gigantic hugs to you, I know what you've been through.

[Old and In the Way]

5. Thanks and hugs back.

I can't think of a worse way to go. I'd prefer Alzheimer's where the mind goes before the body. Having every muscle wasted in one's body while the mind remains totally lucid is such a cruel disease. Knowing there's not a damn thing you can do for your loved one, but watch this unfold over a span of months is so frustrating.

[Happyhippychick]

6. Me too. Or a nice quick heart attack.

No one should have to endure the horror of ALS. I'm hoping stem cell research will be able to eradicate it.