Recent studies have found that traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk of developing dementia and Parkinson’s disease. After a debilitating TBI, you are focused on healing, sometimes just on surviving, and the long-term consequences can seem distant and even irrelevant but can have a very real impact on your quality of life in the years to come. If you suffered a seemingly minor TBI, you could easily brush it off as a near-miss, and just go forward with life. But knowing that TBI carries an increased risk of specific problems later in life gives you the opportunity to avoid other risk factors and to recognize the symptoms early so that you can enjoy the best possible quality of life. And, it helps you understand why pursuing full compensation for your injuries now is so important.
TBI and Parkinson’s
A study published in the journal Neurology, in 2018, looked at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients with and without TBI, to determine if there was an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease after mild TBI. The study found that the risk of developing Parkinson’s was higher in all severities of TBI and that in patients with mild TBI there was a 56% increased chance of Parkinson’s after adjusting for demographics and other medical and psychiatric issues.
TBI and Dementia
A Danish study published in The Lancet, also in 2018, found an increased risk of dementia in people with TBI. The risk was higher in the first six months after TBI. The study was very large, looking at 2.8 million people. Multiple TBIs increased the likelihood of developing dementia. Sustaining TBI at a younger age also increased the risk.
If you have suffered TBI as a result of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, an experienced injury attorney can help you recover the compensation that you need and deserve. Please, contact a personal injury attorney near you to learn your rights.
About Sandra Dalton
