MedPage Today (9/30, George ) reports, “A new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia was more common after falls than after other traumatic injuries, an analysis of Medicare claims data showed.”
Investigators “assessed nearly 2.5 million older adults who had a traumatic injury that led to an emergency department…visit or inpatient admission.” Approximately half of those in the study were injured as a result of a fall.
The data indicated that “within 1 year, new dementia diagnoses were more common in people with falls than other injuries.” The researchers found, “after controlling for potential confounders and accounting for the competing risk of death, falling was tied to a 21% increased risk of a subsequent dementia diagnosis.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
Psychiatric News (9/30) also covers the story.
Related Links:
— “Dementia Diagnosis More Common in Older Adults After Falls Than Other Injuries,” Psychiatric News, September 30, 2024