NFL players screened for health issues

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Washington Redskin Dexter Manley says he and dozens of retired NFL players are being screened for several health-related issues.

Manley and New York Giants former quarterback Joe Pisarchik and more than 70 other retired NFL players are being screened this weekend at The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates and at nearby Heart Check in Washington.

NFL players may seem invincible on the field, but they may face increased risks of cardiovascular disease, researchers say.

The screenings include: electrocardiograms and echocardiograms; carotid vascular ultrasound; blood sugar; triglycerides; liver enzyme and lipid profiles; Lp-PLA2 blood test also known as the PLAC Test; C-reactive protein blood test; total cholesterol and blood pressure analyses; image of calcium in heart arteries and prostate cancer.

"Large body size is clearly a health risk for both retired football players and the general population," Dr. Arthur "Archie" Roberts, founder and director of the Living Heart Foundation, a nationwide healthcare network to provide technically advanced, voluntary, health screenings for active and retired professional football players.

Professional athletes have better reflexes, speed and muscles than the average citizen, but as they age -- they are not as active as they once were -- and with youth no longer on their side they face health risks like everyone else, Roberts said.