The Link Between (TBI)
Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia
Page contents
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia
- Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms – Preventing risk of Brain Damage and Dementia
- Can Head Trauma Cause Dementia: Symptoms to look out for
- Does Every Head Injury Lead to Dementia?
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia: Early Diagnosis Can Save Lives
- Can Trauma Cause Dementia? Know the Risk Factors
Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia
There is a growing body of evidence that brain injury, even mild concussions, can affect one’s longterm cognitive health. The good news is that the vast majority of brain injuries can be prevented by taking careful steps to preserve your health and well-being.
Trauma to our head can occur during everyday activities, car accidents, sports, and many other areas of life. Whether it’s choosing the best sport for yourself and your own brain health or guiding your children or loved ones as they develop their own passions; we can help guide you with the goal of longterm brain health.
This does not mean that you have to give up on a lifelong passion you may have just because there is a risk of brain injury. We prefer to help you mitigate that risk by giving advice and customizing our Deter Dementia program to your goals and needs.
Can Head Injury Lead to Dementia?
If you’re 45 years old and pursuing a martial art as a way to stay fit and healthy, we would certainly encourage it! Being physically active, socializing, and having the mental stimulation of learning a new skill is incredibly important. However we know that the way this hobbyist would approach the sport and skill should be quite different than a 19 year old hoping for an Olympic gold medal in the next few years.
There are many simple tips and tricks that can be used to reduce your concussion and brain injury risk dramatically. The best part is, you are in control of most of these risk factors and the vast majority of brain injuries are truly preventable.
Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms – Preventing risk of Brain Damage and Dementia
Nobody undergoes a traumatic brain injury episode intentionally, but some precautions can significantly reduce the risk of severe brain injury and thus help prevent dementia. Some suggestions to help reduce falls in the elderly include:
- Using a gait aid when required or recommended by a healthcare professional (cane, walker, etc)
- Regularly getting vision testing to ensure optimal eyesight and reduce falls risk
- Getting assistance from others with tasks that may be challenging for the individual (this could mean using a ladder for some people or using stairs for others)
- Consultation and discussion with healthcare professionals prior to using new medications
- Trying to delegate risky tasks/chores to someone with a lower risk of falling or injury (cleaning the gutters, shoveling snow on an icy day, etc)
- Ensuring adequate sleep and balanced nutrition
Traumatic brain injury even at a younger age can increase risk of dementia later in life, therefore it is important to reduce the risk of head injury at all stages of life. This includes wearing proper safety gear in your field of work and a protective helmet during many sports and other high risk activities.
Everyone should also ensure their vehicle is well maintained and repaired to reduce the risk of accidents which can lead to concussions and brain injury as well.
Can Head Trauma Cause Dementia: Symptoms to look out for
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) also has intensities from mild to severe. Not every TBI leads to dementia but in some cases, even a mild head injury can notably increase the risk of dementia.
Here are some symptoms to look out for if you or a loved one has had a head injury:
- Difficulty recalling what happened just before or for several hours after the injury
- Disorientation
- Unable to acquire and memorize new things
- Slurred speech or difficulty speaking
- Headaches
- Light-headedness
- Blurry vision
- Loss of consciousness
- Sensitivity to sound or light
- Nausea or vomiting
- Ears ringing
- Changes in sleeping habits (sleeping too much or not sleeping at all)
Does Every Head Injury Lead to Dementia?
Some simple tips and tricks can be used to reduce your concussion and brain injury risk dramatically. The best part is that you are in control of most of these risk factors, and most brain injuries are preventable. Also, not every brain injury leads to dementia.
A mild TBI may not be related to dementia but in severe cases, a head injury can cause changes in the brain’s ability to function as it normally does. Cognitive changes do not always present immediately and may develop slowly over time, particularly as one ages and has a greater age-related risk of dementia in addition to the prior head injuries.
Therefore, it is always advised to get yourself checked for a TBI in case of any of the following situations:
- Any loss of consciousness after a head injury
- Any convulsions or seizure-like activity
- Vomiting after a head injury
- Symptoms that are worsening over time
- Any high-speed trauma with head injury
- Falling from a height of more than 3 feet (or any height if significant injury)
Traumatic Brain Injury and Dementia: Early Diagnosis Can Save Lives
A Traumatic Brain Injury is any injury to the brain and usually occurs from direct impact or injury to the head. Traumatic Brain Injury can be classified in several ways and most healthcare professionals classify it as mild, moderate or severe.
The connection between TBI and subsequent dementia has been well-documented and requires careful attention. In most cases, a traumatic brain injury doesn’t directly affect the brain but has consequences that linger for a longer time. These effects can show up in many forms. Symptoms may present occasionally or consistently, after a certain period of time or only during certain situations. Scenarios with lots of light or sound (sporting events, concerts, parties) are areas of particular stress on the brain for those with prior TBI.
A traumatic brain injury can disrupt the brain’s functions in at least two different ways:
- Direct Traumatic Brain Injury: Long-lasting or even permanent effects of a direct traumatic brain injury (TBI) can include unconsciousness, depression, disorientation, difficulty learning and remembering new information, difficulty speaking coherently, unsteadiness, lack of coordination, and issues with vision or hearing.
- Indirect or Delayed Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Years following the initial injury, several types of TBI may increase the risk of several neurologic conditions including dementia
Can Trauma Cause Dementia? Know the Risk Factors
As mentioned earlier, not every head injury results in dementia, but many head injuries can. It is helpful to be aware of several common scenarios that can lead to TBI:
| Falls | Any fall greater than a height of 3 feet can lead to permanent damage to the brain. Any falls from an elevated height should get immediate medical attention to assess for injuries, including traumatic brain injury. |
| Direct trauma | Being struck or hit by a hard object during a fight or an accident is a leading risk factor for TBI as well. |
| Vehicle Crashes | Many accidents, even if the head doesn’t directly impacted, are a leading cause of TBI. The movement of the brain matter within the skull itself from a sudden change in direction or speed can lead to brain injury even without a direct hit to the head. |
| Indirect Hits | TBI can also result from indirect impacts, such as shock waves from explosions on the battlefield, that severely jolt the brain inside the skull. |
There is a growing body of evidence that brain injury, even mild concussions, can affect one’s longterm cognitive health. The good news is that the vast majority of brain injuries can be prevented by taking careful steps to preserve your health and well-being.
Trauma to our head can occur during everyday activities, car accidents, sports, and many other areas of life. Whether it’s choosing the best sport for yourself and your own brain health or guiding your children or loved ones as they develop their own passions; we can help guide you with the goal of longterm brain health.
This does not mean that you have to give up on a lifelong passion you may have just because there is a risk of brain injury. We prefer to help you mitigate that risk by giving advice and customizing our Deter Dementia program to your goals and needs.
If you’re 45 years old and pursuing a martial art as a way to stay fit and healthy, we would certainly encourage it! Being physically active, socializing, and having the mental stimulation of learning a new skill is incredibly important. However we know that the way this hobbyist would approach the sport and skill should be quite different than a 19 year old hoping for an Olympic gold medal in the next few years.
There are many simple tips and tricks that can be used to reduce your concussion and brain injury risk dramatically. The best part is, you are in control of most of these risk factors and the vast majority of brain injuries are truly preventable.
Sign up for our newsletter and get our free Deter Dementia overview or work with us to dig deeper and build yourself a customized plan tailored to your specific needs. We want to work with you to allow you to do the things you love, while we all Prevent, Preserve, and Prosper together.
