Differences in Risk of Alzheimer's Disease Following Later-Life Traumatic Brain Injury in Veteran and Civilian Populations.
Arseniy P Yashkin, Galina A Gorbunova, Larry Tupler and 3 others
PMID 36854141WHAT IT FOUND
Traumatic brain injury after age 68 strongly increased the risk of Alzheimer's diagnosis, but this risk dropped significantly with each passing year.
The elevated danger appeared to fade roughly five years after the injury, suggesting the link is short-term rather than permanent.
Key findings
01A new traumatic brain injury after age 68 was associated with a more than threefold increase in the risk of Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in the general population.
02The increased risk of Alzheimer's diagnosis decreased by 17% for every year that passed since the injury occurred.
03Traumatic brain injuries requiring intensive care were associated with a 58% higher risk of Alzheimer's diagnosis compared to those that did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on insurance claims codes to diagnose Alzheimer's and TBI, which may not capture all cases or distinguish accurately between TBI-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers could not account for the severity of the traumatic brain injuries. The veteran population was limited to men and reflected older conflicts, so results may not apply to female veterans or those injured in more recent wars. Veterans often use Veterans Affairs healthcare, which was not included in the Medicare data, potentially missing diagnoses or treatments. The study could not determine if the TBI caused Alzheimer's or simply unmasked an earlier onset of the disease.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Extramural).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a TBI in older age guarantees a lifelong, unchanging increase in Alzheimer's risk. The study found that the risk decreases significantly with each passing year after the injury, suggesting the association is strongest in the short term and may fade after about five years.