Evidence Suggests TBI Possible Risk Factor for Parkinson’s Disease
May 05, 2022
Recent research suggests that traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be a risk factor for various forms of neurodegenerative diseases, including Lewy body dementia, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that 110,000 Veterans have PD.
PD causes various muscular symptoms, including rigidity, delayed movement, poor balance, and tremors. Other symptoms may include cognitive issues, swallowing problems, mood disorders, and urinary and bowel problems.
In 2012, VA recognized PD as a presumptive service disorder related to Agent Orange or other herbicide exposures during service.
There is no cure for PD, and the cause is not known. However, research suggests that genetic and environmental factors cause PD. Additionally, they are many effective treatment options and medications available.
The latest findings indicate that it is possible in the early stages of PD, even before diagnosis, that patients may have subtle motor changes, increasing the likelihood of sustaining a TBI.
According to the study, TBI may be associated with an earlier age of onset in several diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. Patients with a TBI history had a 4.9-year earlier age onset of PD. Those who sustained a TBI and lost consciousness for longer than 5 minutes had a 9.9-year earlier age onset of PD.
It is hypothesized that a TBI accelerates various pathological brain processes that are so minute that they are not detectable. A TBI lowers the threshold for later life brain changes to show symptoms.
The possible conclusions about a TBI resulting in PD are preliminary. However, the more learned, the better the chances are of understanding how brain functions can go astray and what can be done to treat those symptoms or prevent them.
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