Traumatic Brain Injuries Are Tied to Dementia

A major study published in Lancet Psychiatry determined traumatic brain injury (TBI), even a single mild injury, is tied to a higher risk of dementia, reports the New York Times . The researchers investigated Danish health databases that included all residents as of Jan. 1, 1995, who were at least 50 years old at some time during the 36-year follow-up, from 1977 to 2013. Among 2,794,852 people, they found 258,827 who had suffered at least one TBI. Following adjustment for medical, neurological, and psychiatric illnesses, the team found that compared with people who had never had a TBI, those who had had any exhibited a 24 percent greater risk for dementia, while those who had had five or more had nearly three times the risk. Even a single mild TBI elevated the risk by 17 percent. For their initial TBI diagnosis, 85 percent were this mild variety. Nevertheless, University of Washington School of Medicine Professor Jesse R. Fann says the absolute risk of developing dementia as young as 50 is quite low. "I don't want people to think that just because you've had a head injury you're bound to get dementia," he notes.