1 in 8 Older Americans Are Stricken With Traumatic Head Injury [Video]

Key Takeaways

One in eight U.S. seniors will be treated for a traumatic brain injury as they age, Medicare data showWomen, white people, the healthy and the well-off were at higher risk for a concussion requiring treatmentHowever, many people with a concussion don’t seek care

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) — About one in eight U.S. seniors will be treated for a traumatic brain injury, typically during a fall, a new study finds.

Medicare data shows that about 13% of seniors suffered a severe concussion during an average follow-up period of 18 years, researchers report.

Although these injuries can be treated, they increase the risk of serious conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, heart disease, depression and anxiety, they added.

“The number of people 65 and older with TBI is shockingly high,” said senior researcher Dr. Raquel Gardner, a neurologist with the Sheba Medical Center in Israel.

For the study, researchers tracked about 9,200 Medicare …