Getting quick treatment for head injuries — even if symptoms don’t initially seem serious — could cut Alzheimer’s risk in half, according to a new study by Case Western Reserve University.
Specifically, receiving physical and cognitive therapy within a week of injury reduces risk of future Alzheimer’s by more than 40 percent, the study found.
The report's finding could change patient and hospital behavior, according to study co-author Austin Kennemer of CWRU's medical school.
“If patients are aware of that, they can advocate for themselves to receive these services," Kennemer said. "Hopefully, hospitals change their systems to prioritize rehab immediately following an injury.”
Traumatic brain injuries are caused by violent or sudden impact and are linked to Alzheimer’s. However, people sometimes delay treatment because they experience the symptoms as minor, or rooted in other conditions — or they may have dementia or other impairments that prevent them from understanding they need to visit a doctor, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The elderly are most at risk of traumatic brain injury because of falls.
Prompt treatment allows the brain to repair pathways related to memory and learning and avoids issues such as difficulty communicating and controlling emotions, Kennemer said.
Quick action can also help avoid further injury in the future, said Dr. Rong Xu, director of the Center for AI and Drug Discovery at the school of medicine, and a co-author of the CWRU study.
"For people with Alzheimer's disease, falling is probably the highest risk for death. It's kind of this kind of a vicious cycle," Xu said, because Alzheimer's can then lead to more falls.
