ncussion Worries, Little-Known Neurologic
(BPT) - There's been a lot of attention recently on the
effects of sports-related brain injuries. However,
PseudoBulbar Affect (PBA), a neurologic condition that
causes uncontrollable, sudden outbursts of crying and/or
laughing in people with brain injuries or certain neurologic
conditions, is absent from the dialogue. An estimated 7
million Americans suffer from PBA, but awareness is low
and many people don't know they have it.
of symptoms like memory loss (73 percent), difficulty
thinking (60 percent), and headache (60 percent) as a
result of brain injury. However, few were aware of PBAlike symptoms.
* Among former players surveyed with PBA-like
symptoms, the greatest impact of these symptoms
appears to be on spending time with family, maintaining a
marriage, working and being able to participate in social
A recent survey from the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund activities.
assessed the prevalence and impact of PBA symptoms in
* Only 16 percent of former players reporting any PBAformer professional football players. Ninety-nine percent of
like symptoms had discussed their symptoms with a
all players had experienced head trauma or injury during
health care professional, and just over half of them
their football career. And more concerning is that a third of
received any diagnosis or explanation for their symptoms.
these players admit to experiencing symptoms consistent
with PBA; and most were unaware that PBA symptoms
* Common reasons for not reporting crying or laughing
may result from head injury.
episodes to a physician were "thought it was just
PBA is not limited to sports-related brain injury; it can also
occur in people with brain injuries from other causes like
car accidents or falls, or certain other neurologic
conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or other
dementias, stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) or multiple
sclerosis.
PBA episodes may occur several times a day and last from
seconds to minutes, can be exaggerated or don't usually
match what a person is feeling on the inside, and
can occur spontaneously, often with no clear trigger.
Additional findings from the survey include:
depression" (29 percent) or "too embarrassed to mention"
(25 percent).
"People who suffer from PBA may find their symptoms
challenging, and suffer an emotional toll. PBA can
negatively impact social interactions, and sometimes
these crying or laughing episodes are so interpersonally
disruptive for people that they may interfere with their
normal activities," says Dr. Greg O'Shanick, National
Medical Director Emeritus of the Brain Injury Association
of America. "The good news is PBA is treatable. People
who have, or think they may have PBA should talk to their
doctor about ways to manage their symptoms."
* The majority of the former players surveyed were aware For more information about PBA and the survey visit
www.TacklePBA.org or talk to your doctor.
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