Researchers are actively looking into a link between traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and Parkinson’s. They have been studying veteran’s health histories and noticed those who have had TBI, had a 71% increased risk of Parkinson’s. This increased risk is observed among veterans with TBI, mild TBI, and moderate-severe TBI.
According to the article “Is Traumatic Brain Injury Linked to Parkinson’s Disease?” in Consumer Health Digest, the research shows that people who sustain TBI and lose their consciousness for more than an hour, are at a higher risk of developing late-life neurodegeneration; however, TBI wasn’t linked with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
But a more recent study in the journal “Neurology”, reports that even mild TBI characterized by loss of consciousness for 30 minutes or less, can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 56%. Even mild TBIs that do not result in loss of consciousness might have long-term neurodegenerative consequences.
This is concerning because a lot of veterans get injured in duty causing traumatic brain injuries. We see a lot of veterans in our PD exercise classes. Many of these cases are contributed to agent orange exposure. Now we are forced to consider any head injury as serious. With these newer studies, we must consider kids sports including bikes and boards making sure they always wear quality head gear.