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Concussion diagnostic test using saliva is a ‘real game changer’
News and reactions from the world of sport, including a new ban for ex-Fifa president Sepp Blatter
Mike Starling
26 Mar 2021
Rugby saliva test trial 94% accurate
A three-year trial in elite men’s rugby union has found that concussion can be accurately diagnosed using a pitchside saliva test.
In the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, samples were taken from 156 Premiership and Championship players who had head injury assessments. Using “microscopic DNA markers in saliva” the tests predicted the conventional assessment result with 94% accuracy.
Described as a “real game changer”, the study was led by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby, and Marker Diagnostics. The research has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The method of using saliva samples paves the way for the first non-invasive clinical test for concussion for use in sport and other settings. Dr Simon Kemp, the RFU’s medical services director, told BBC Sport that the study’s findings were “incredibly exciting” and said the potential for the test was “far bigger than rugby”.
News and reactions from the world of sport, including a new ban for ex-Fifa president Sepp Blatter
Mike Starling
26 Mar 2021
Rugby saliva test trial 94% accurate
A three-year trial in elite men’s rugby union has found that concussion can be accurately diagnosed using a pitchside saliva test.
In the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, samples were taken from 156 Premiership and Championship players who had head injury assessments. Using “microscopic DNA markers in saliva” the tests predicted the conventional assessment result with 94% accuracy.
Described as a “real game changer”, the study was led by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby, and Marker Diagnostics. The research has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The method of using saliva samples paves the way for the first non-invasive clinical test for concussion for use in sport and other settings. Dr Simon Kemp, the RFU’s medical services director, told BBC Sport that the study’s findings were “incredibly exciting” and said the potential for the test was “far bigger than rugby”.