Falls Requiring Medical Attention Tied to Later Dementia Diagnosis
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 2, 2024 -- Falling is independently associated with an increased risk for subsequent dementia diagnosis among older adults, according to a study published online Sept. 30 in JAMA Network Open.
Alexander J. Ordoobadi, M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues assessed the risk for new Alzheimer disease and related dementia diagnosis after a fall in older adults using data from roughly 2.45 million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who experienced a traumatic injury (2014 to 2015) that resulted in an emergency department or inpatient encounter.
The researchers found that Alzheimer disease and related dementias were more frequently diagnosed within one year of a fall compared with other injury mechanisms (10.6 versus 6.1 percent). In an unadjusted analysis, higher risk was seen for incident dementia diagnosis after a fall (hazard ratio, 1.63). Risk persisted in multivariable Cox competing risk analysis (hazard ratio, 1.21) when controlling for patient demographics, medical comorbidities, and injury characteristics. For a subset of older adults without a recent skilled nursing facility admission, risk was also higher (hazard ratio, 1.27).
"These results suggest that cognitive screening should be implemented for older adults who have experienced a fall that results in an emergency department visit or hospital admission," the authors write.
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.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Preoperative Blood Pressure Strategies Yield Similar Postoperative Cognitive Results
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- For patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, neurocognitive outcomes do not differ with hypotension-avoidance and hypertension-avoidance strategies...
Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Account for More Than One-Third of Dementia Risk
THURSDAY, June 5, 2025 -- A substantial number of U.S. dementia cases could be eliminated by mitigating modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors, according to a study published...
Parental Education Tied to Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged, Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- Parental education may protect offspring's cognitive health later in life, according to a study published online May 30 in JAMA Network...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.