It might seem like just a part of getting old – but suffering a fall could dramatically raise your risk of dementia.
Researchers in Boston evaluated the medical records of more than 2.4million adults over 65, finding those who’d went to hospital after suffering a fall were 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia a year later than their peers.
The researchers said that the findings show elderly people who suffer a traumatic injury should be screened for cognitive problems, which can be a precursor for conditions like Alzheimer’s.
There are now several approved medications to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, but they are most effective when given in the early stages of the disease.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that sustaining a fall in old age increased the risk of dementia by 20 percent
The above graph shows the rate of dementia diagnoses following an injury. One year after injury, 10 percent of adults were diagnosed with dementia, compared to six percent from other injuries
Dr Molly Jarman, senior study author and deputy director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigman and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said: ‘Our study highlights the opportunity to intervene early and the need for more clinicians who can provide comprehensive care for older adults.
‘If we can establish that falls serve as early indicators of dementia, we could identify other precursors and early events that we could intervene on, which would significantly improve our approach to managing cognitive health in older adults.
The researchers analyzed injury data from Medicare Fee-For-Service, a healthcare payment system, while included 2.4million adults over age 66. More than half of the participants sustained a fall as their injury.
The majority of participants - 91 percent - were white, and over 60 percent were women.
The study, published Monday in JAMA Network Open, found that within a year of a fall, one in 10 participants were diagnosed with dementia, compared to one in 15 of those who suffered a different injury.
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After analyzing for other factors, falling was associated with a 21 percent increased risk of dementia.
Dr Jarman said: 'The relationship between falls and dementia appears to be a two-way street.
'Cognitive decline can increase the likelihood of falls, but trauma from those falls may also accelerate dementia's progression and make a diagnosis more likely down the line.
'Thus, falls may be able to act as precursor events that can help us identify people who need further cognitive screening.'
The team noted that conducting cognitive screening after a fall could help detect dementia at any earlier stage, slowing progression and potentially increasing life expectancy.
Dr Alexander Ordoobadi, lead study author and resident physician in the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said: 'One of the biggest challenges we face is the lack of ownership in the process of follow-up screening for cognitive impairment, because there may not be adequate time for these screenings in an emergency department or trauma center setting.
'Ideally, after an injury, older adults should receive follow up care with a primary care provider or geriatrician who can monitor their cognitive health and long-term functional recovery after the injury, but many older adults don’t have a regular primary care provider and lack access to a geriatrician.'
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, affects about seven million Americans and nearly 1million Brits.