Head Injury Associated With Increased Dementia Risk

The effects of head injuries are long-lasting and could lead to dementia later in life mostly among women when compared to men and among white as compared to Black populations.

History of head injury with loss of consciousness has become common in the United States, affecting over 23 million adults of age 40 or older. It may be caused by varied reasons such as from car and motorcycle accidents to sports injuries.

Also it is seen that the effects from head injuries are long-lasting. A single head injury could lead to dementia later in life mostly among women when compared to men and among white as compared to Black populations. And this risk increases as the number of head injuries sustained by an individual increases, reports a study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

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‘The effects of head injuries are long-lasting and could lead to dementia later in life mostly among women when compared to men and among white as compared to Black populations. This mandates the need for further research in understanding the exact reasons for these observed sex and race differences in the association of head injury with dementia risk.’

The study team for the first time investigated the data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) to uncover associations between head injury and dementia over the span of 25 years in a diverse population (both Black and white populations, as well as among both males and females) in the United States.

They were followed for a median of 25 years through up to six in-person visits and semi-annual telephone follow-ups. Data on head injuries of participants was drawn from hospital records, as well as self-reporting from some participants.

Head Injury and Dementia

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Head injury or traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability among children and young adults that leads to varying degrees of physical and mental stability. Fortunately, it is also one of the preventable brain disorder.

"Head injury is a significant risk factor for dementia, but it's one that can be prevented. Our findings show that the number of head injuries matter - more head injuries are associated with 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 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", says lead investigator, Andrea L.C. Schneider, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Neurology at Penn.

It was seen that on comparing the participants with no history of head injury, there was an increased risk of dementia of 1.25 times among those with history of a single prior head injury and over 2 times with a history of two or more prior head injuries. Overall, 9.5 percent of all dementia cases in the study population could be attributed to at least one prior head injury.

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Earlier studies suggest that women are at higher risk for dementia compared to men. Additionally, Black populations overall are at higher risk for dementia compared to people who are white.

The present study also found that females were more likely to experience dementia as a result of head injury than males. And also White participants were found to be at higher risk for dementia after head injury when compared to Black participants.

The study mandates the need for further research in understanding the exact reasons for these observed sex and race differences in the association of head injury with dementia risk.

"Given the strong association of head injury with dementia, there is an important need for future research focused on prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing dementia after head injury. The results of this study have already led to several ongoing research projects, including efforts to uncover the causes of head injury-related dementia as well as investigations into reasons underlying the observed sex and race differences in the risk of dementia associated with head injury", says Schneider.

Source-Medindia