daup h i n cm s .org Features Concussions By ROBERT E. HARBAUGH, MD T here seems to be an insatiable interest in the risks of sports-related concussions. Because athletes who participate in contact sports are exposed to the possibility of repeated blows to the head, there is a legitimate concern about their risk of developing delayed neurological dysfunction from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or other neurodegenerative diseases. Unfortunately, instead of a measured analysis of the relative risks and benefits of participating in contact sports, what has developed is the perception of sports-related concussion as a crisis affecting American youth. This perception is inaccurate and dangerous. While it is true that the annual number of reported sports-related concussions has increased, this is largely because the bar for diagnosing a concussion has been lowered. The definition of a concussion once required a loss of consciousness, but now 8 Fall 2017 Central PA Medicinehttp://www.dauphincms.org