Even one head injury can raise risk of dementia, study suggests

The study, that followed 14,000 adults over a period of 25 years, also found out that the risk increases as more head injuries pile up. More findings include the increased risk for women with head injuries Vs men and with white people as compared to colored individuals. 

People with a history of one head injury were associated with a 1.25 times greater risk of dementia compared to those with no reported head injuries, the study found. A history of two or more prior head injuries was associated with more than double the risk of dementia. Overall, the researchers found that nearly 10% of the study participants who developed dementia had at least one prior head injury.

While mild injuries, or concussions, typically don’t cause loss of consciousness that exceeds 30 minutes, all forms of head injury can lead to difficulty learning and remembering new information, organizing thoughts or making sound judgments, the Alzheimer’s Association says. And those who experience a more severe injury could develop similar disabling symptoms years after the injury occurred