Can head injury lead to Alzheimer's?
27 October, 2000
Australians over the age of 65 have a one in 8 chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, so new research offers a great reason to wear your bike helmet and avoid head injuries when you play sport.
The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Aging and at Duke University in the USA, focused on assessing over 1700 World War II veterans for the development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.
All of the veterans had been hospitalised during their service – 548 with a documented head injury and the remaining 1228 with an unrelated condition.
The researchers concluded that those men who had suffered a moderate or severe head injury had an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia than those men who had not experienced a head injury. The severity of the injury also influenced the risk–those men who had experienced a severe head injury (that required hospitalisation and led to amnesia that lasted more than 24 hours were four times more likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
The study also addressed whether men who carried the APOE e4 gene variation were associated with a higher risk of dementia and the researchers found that the APOE e4 variant of the gene was found more commonly amongst those with Alzheimer’s disease.
The study has suggested that Alzheimer’s disease may be a chronic condition that develops after a long latent phase. Further analysis is needed to identify early intervention strategies for people predisposed to the irreversible disease and treatment options for the 135,000 Australians who experience moderate to severe dementia.
The results are a reminder of the importance of protection for your head.
‘It may be one more reason to wear that bike helmet instead of keeping it in a closet’, said Dr Richard Havlik of the National Institute on Aging in the USA.
Last Reviewed: 27 October 2000
- 1. Neurology 2000;55:1158-1166
