A new study has found that a bump on the head can significantly increase risk of getting dementia, the Daily Mail reported.
Researchers say close to two-thirds of traumatic brain injuries in the UK are classed as 'mild' and often go unreported. This is because minor injuries go unreported and are seen as insignificant.
For the study, a team from the University of California in San Francisco, examined almost 350,000 Army veterans who had suffered blows to the head both during their time in the military, as well as, civilian life. They found a blow to the head can double the risk of dementia.
Brain injuries are common among people between the ages of 80 and 90 and also those between 20 and 30.
"There are several mechanisms that may explain the association between traumatic brain injury and dementia," lead author Dr Kristine Yaffe, told the Daily Mail.
Adding, "There's something about trauma that may hasten the development of neurodegenerative conditions. One theory is that brain injury induces or accelerates the accumulation of abnormal proteins that lead to neuronal death associated with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease."
"It’s also possible that trauma leaves the brain more vulnerable to other injuries or ageing processes, but we need more work in this area, " she went on to explain.
The findings were published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
