Scientists have issued a stark warning about one overlooked injury, claiming it may ‘double’ your risk of developing dementia. The Weill Cornell Medicine research ‘consistently’ saw this ‘elevated’ threat among people who had experienced ‘intracranial haemorrhages’, also known as ‘brain bleeds’.
These life-threatening incidents are a form of stroke that can take place among people with unmanaged high blood pressure or those who have suffered a fall. However, others may experience symptoms with no clear cause in ‘spontaneous’ incidents that trigger a build-up of blood underneath the skull or in brain tissue.
“As we see more evidence that dementia can follow haemorrhages, we really need to consider the implication,” Dr Santosh Murthy, senior author and associate professor, said. “For example, assessing the safety of anti-amyloid beta treatments for Alzheimer’s disease in people who have experienced a haemorrhage should become a research priority.”
As part of the US-based research, scientists examined various Medicare insurance claims from 2008 to 2018, pinpointing almost 15,000 individuals who had suffered a brain bleed. Although various cases had been triggered by traumatic injuries, they decided to investigate the risk of dementia among those who had experienced spontaneous intracranial haemorrhages.
Worryingly, their analyses revealed a ‘two-fold increase in the incidence of first-ever dementia diagnosis within an average of 5.6 years after an intracranial haemorrhage’ among these patients. This was compared with more than two million individuals who did not have a brain bleed.
The research adds to a wave of similar findings on the subject, including a 30-year analyses of Denmark’s medical records which saw the ‘absolute risk of dementia among stroke survivors was 11.5%’. This is representative of ‘a 2.5-fold increase over the general population’, according to reports.
Driving factors behind these trends are still being investigated, though the Cornell team suggest it may be due a protein known as ‘amyloid beta’. They explained: “Haemorrhages may cause dementia directly by triggering the accumulation of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain and its blood vessels, which can disrupt brain function.
“Or haemorrhage and dementia may be indirectly connected because the same factors—like chronic damage to blood vessels in the brain—increase the risk of both conditions.”
However, it is clear that further research is required to understand this more thoroughly, with scientists highlighting a need to explore how different subtypes of dementia are influenced by haemorrhages. More than 944,000 people are currently living with dementia in the UK, with Alzheimer’s disease accounting for most cases.
Yet, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia are among other types too, all taking a huge toll on cognitive function.
NHS’ list of potential early stage dementia symptoms
- Sudden changes in personality or mood
- Trouble finding the right words to say and not being able to understand conversations
- Confusion and memory loss
- Difficulty concentrating and planning tasks
NHS guidance adds: “If someone you know is becoming increasingly forgetful, encourage them to see a GP to talk about the early signs of dementia. There are other reasons why someone might be experiencing memory loss.
“However, if dementia is found early, its progress can be slowed down in some cases, so the person may be able to maintain their mental function for longer.”