Falling Linked to Raised Risk of Dementia in Older People
By Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 30, 2024 -- More than 14 million seniors a year take a tumble, and those falls can be life-changing.
"The relationship between falls and dementia appears to be a two-way street," said Molly Jarman, senior author of a new study showing that cognitive decline may increase an older person's risk for a fall and the trauma that follows a fall may also speed up progress of dementia.
The study by Jarman, deputy director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and her colleagues notes that falls are among the most common reason for trauma center admissions and the No. 1 cause of injury in older adults.
"Thus, falls may be able to act as precursor events that can help us identify people who need further cognitive screening," Jarman said in a hospital news release.
Her team looked at Medicare claims data for more than 2.4 million seniors who suffered a traumatic injury and how they were doing a year later.
Half of the patients were injured in a fall. Of those, 10.6% were later diagnosed with dementia, the study found. Falls increased the risk of a future dementia diagnosis by 21%.
As such, the researchers recommend that older adults who go to the hospital for care after a fall undergo cognitive screening either in the ER or in the hospital. Such screening could enable seniors who need treatment for mental declines to get it sooner, they said.
Nationwide, 1 in 4 older adults report a fall each year, leading to more than $50 billion in health care costs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Study's first author Dr. Alexander Ordoobadi, a surgical resident at Brigham and Women's, often sees patients who are admitted after a fall.
"We treat the injuries, provide rehabilitation, but often overlook the underlying risk factors that contribute to falls, despite a growing body of evidence suggesting a link between falls and cognitive decline," he said.
Ideally, he said, older adults who fall should receive follow-up with a primary care doctor or geriatrician, a specialist in elder care, who can monitor their thinking skills and long-term recovery. But many seniors don't have a primary care doctor and lack access to a geriatrician, he pointed.
"Our study highlights the opportunity to intervene early and the need for more clinicians who can provide comprehensive care for older adults," Ordoobadi said.
The findings were published Sept. 30 in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Sources
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
Source: HealthDay
Posted : 2024-10-01 06:00
Read more
- Poor Cardiovascular Health Linked to Composite of Poor Brain Health
- Protracted Radiation Exposure Linked to Hematologic Cancer Mortality
- Female Pediatricians Earn About 93 Percent of Male Pediatricians
- Risk Factors Found for Neurogenic Bladder After Rectal Cancer Surgery
- Could Asthma Harm a Child's Memory Skills?
- Mindfulness Meditation Could Have Direct Effect in Reducing Pain
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.
The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Popular Keywords
- metformin obat apa
- alahan panjang
- glimepiride obat apa
- takikardia adalah
- erau ernie
- pradiabetes
- besar88
- atrofi adalah
- kutu anjing
- trakeostomi
- mayzent pi
- enbrel auto injector not working
- enbrel interactions
- lenvima life expectancy
- leqvio pi
- what is lenvima
- lenvima pi
- empagliflozin-linagliptin
- encourage foundation for enbrel
- qulipta drug interactions