In a new study from the University of Pennsylvania, researchers found a single head injury could lead to dementia later in life
Further, as the number of head injuries a person sustains increases, so does the risk of dementia.
The findings also suggest stronger associations of head injury with the risk of dementia among women compared to men.
Head injury in the United States is common, with over 23 million adults age 40 or older reporting a history of head injury with loss of consciousness.
A variety of different situations—from car and motorcycle accidents to sports injuries—can cause head injuries. What’s more, it has become increasingly recognized that the effects of head injuries are long-lasting.
In the study, the team used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, which aimed to uncover associations between head injury and dementia over the span of 25 years in a diverse population in the United States.
They found that compared to participants who never experienced a head injury, a history of a single prior head injury was associated with a 1.25 times increased risk of dementia.
A history of two or more prior head injuries was associated with over 2 times increased risk compared to individuals without a history of head injury.
Overall, 9.5% of all dementia cases in the study population could be attributed to at least one prior head injury.
The number of head injuries matter—more head injuries are linked to a greater risk for dementia. The dose-dependence of this association suggests that prevention of head injury could mitigate some risk of dementia later in life.
While the head injury is not the only risk factor for dementia, it is one risk factor for dementia that is modifiable by behavior changes such as wearing helmets and seat belts.
The authors conclude that more research is needed to better understand the reasons for these observed sex and race differences in the association.
If you care about dementia and brain health, please read studies about a new way to detect Alzheimer’s disease 5 years before its onset and findings of a new early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information about dementia prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about lack of this stuff could be the key to Alzheimer’s disease and results showing that why some older people can keep their minds dementia-free.
The study is published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. One author of the study is Andrea L.C. Schneider.
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