Traumatic Brain Injury Linked to Increased Dementia Risk

A study published in PLoS Medicine suggests traumatic brain injury (TBI) may elevate the risk of dementia, reports ABC News . The researchers examined 3 million Swedes 50 years and older who were diagnosed with TBI or dementia between 1964 and 2012. They compared them with subjects who did not have TBI, as well as with siblings without TBI when possible. "We showed that up to 30 years or more, there is a 25 percent increased risk of dementia after traumatic brain injury," says Umeå University's Peter Nordström. A higher risk of dementia also was associated with more severe TBI or multiple TBIs. The results of the 46,970 sibling pairs suggested the connection between TBI and dementia is just as strong even after adjusting for upbringing, education, and genetics, according to Nordström. However, although the observational study shows a strong association between TBI and dementia, there is still a lack of evidence that TBI actually causes dementia. Future studies in this area would have to prove a cause-and-effect relationship, and could investigate other disabilities linked to TBI. "I think this study will pinpoint the importance of continuing preventative safety measures in sports and doing what we already know to reduce the risk of dementia, such as avoiding excess alcohol intake and high blood pressure," Nordström says.