Seniors who fall are at higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia over the next year, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
A recent study of data on more than 2 million older adults who had sustained some type of injury found that 10.6% of those who suffered a fall were diagnosed with dementia during the 12 months after the fall.
Falls were associated with a 21% higher risk of dementia diagnosis when compared to other types of injuries.
The people studied were all at least 66 years old and had not been diagnosed with dementia prior to their injury.
The findings were published in JAMA Network Open, an online journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers said their findings suggest that seniors who experience a fall should undergo cognitive screenings.
In a summary of the findings, Dr. Alexander Ordoobadi, lead author of the study and a resident physician in the department of surgery at Brigham, says:
“I often see patients admitted after falls, which are among the most common reasons for trauma center admissions and can lead to severe injuries. This raises an important question: Why are these falls happening in the first place?”
He adds that too often, medical professionals treat patients for injuries and send them for rehabilitation without looking at the underlying factors that might have contributed to the fall.
The researchers cite data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that 14 million older adults — or about 25% of that age group — report falls each year.
In addition, the researchers note that while cognitive issues can increase the likelihood of falling, a fall itself can also result in trauma that accelerates the progression of dementia.
For more about possible clues to the presence of cognitive issues, check out “6 Bizarre Early Warning Signs of Dementia.”
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