TBI Sometimes Misdiagnosed As ALS

Did Lou Gehrig really have Lou Gehrig's Disease? The causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are still unknown, but researchers now believe Gehrig's motor neuron disease may have been caused by repeated head trauma and concussions.

A new study out of Boston University and the Veterans Administration, published in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, offers "the first pathological evidence that repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports might be associated with the development of a motor neuron disease." The same kinds of head trauma have become the signature injury of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Resulting memory problems may be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease as well.

Alan Schwarz of the New York Times provides a winning overview of the paper and Gehrig's famous battle with the disease, whichever disease it really was.

Which raises the question: If hyperbaric oxygen therapy is proven efficacious in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI), may we then assume it works for ALS, too?

O2.O is the news blog of HyperbaricLink, the independent web guide to hyperbaric oxygen therapy.