Heather Anderson: Late AFL player first female pro diagnosed with degenerative brain disease CTE
A late 'Aussie Rules' football player has become the first professional female athlete in the world to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, scientists have found.
The landmark ruling by the Australian Sports Brain Bank (ASSB) could have far reaching consequences for girls and women who play contact sport around the world.
Heather Anderson, who played for Adelaide in the Australian Football League Women's (AFLW) competition, was diagnosed by the organisation as having low-stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and three lesions in her brain.
Anderson died last November aged 28 after taking her own life, and her brain was donated to the ASSB following her death.
What is CTE?
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, can only be diagnosed posthumously.
The disease can cause memory loss, depression and violent mood swings in those who sustain repeated head trauma.
"There were multiple CTE lesions as well as abnormalities nearly everywhere I looked in her cortex," Michael Buckland, director of the ASBB, said in a statement.
"It was indistinguishable from the dozens of male cases I've seen."
He added the diagnosis was a step towards understanding the impact that years of playing contact sport has on women's brains.
"While we've been finding CTE in males for quite some time, I think this is really the tip of the iceberg and it's a real red flag that now women are participating [in contact sport] just as men are, that we are going to start seeing more and more CTE cases in women," he told Australian national broadcaster, the ABC.
Who was Heather Anderson?
Anderson, who also played rugby league, had at least one diagnosed concussion while playing eight games during Adelaide's premiership-winning AFLW season, in 2017.
She began playing contact sports at the age of five and retired as a professional Aussie Rules football player after the 2017 season, due to a shoulder injury.
Growing recognition of brain injury risk in sport
Awareness and research of CTE in sports has continued to grow since 2013 when the National Football League (NFL), in the United States, settled lawsuits with thousands of former players, who had developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems.
In Australia, a legal challenge was launched last March in the state of Victoria's Supreme Court on behalf of Aussie Rules footballers, who sustained concussion-related injuries while playing or preparing for professional games in the national league since 1985.
And in Britain, interest in the effect of contact sport on players' health has been intensifying in recent years, prompting research and trials of new rules to protect youth league players' heads.
New government guidance issued in April brought in an 'If In Doubt, Sit Them Out' code for grassroots contact sport.
The guidelines say athletes who suffer suspected concussions shouldn't return to competitive action any earlier than 21 days after the injury.
A legal claim brought by more than 200 former rugby union players against three of the sport's governing bodies, alleging they suffered brain injuries during their careers, reached the High Court in June.
Lawyers representing the group of 169 former professional and 66 ex-amateur sportsmen and women have previously alleged the governing bodies failed to take reasonable steps to protect players from injury caused by repetitive blows.
They have also claimed that many now have permanent neurological injuries, including early onset dementia, Parkinson's disease and CTE.
Former Scottish rugby union player Doddie Weir was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2016 during his late 40s.
His diagnosis and subsequent death at the age of 52 has prompted calls for greater research to find a cure for MND, leading to the creation of the My Name is Doddie foundation.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this report, support is available from a number of organisations, including:
CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably, runs a free and confidential helpline and webchat. It also supports those bereaved by suicide, through the Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP). Call 0800 585858 (daily, 5pm to midnight).
Mind is a mental health charity which promotes the views and needs of people with mental health issues. It provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem, and campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. Call 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk
Samaritans is an organisation offering confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone 116 123 (a free 24 hour helpline) or email jo@samaritans.org
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