A single fall after the age of 40 could increase one’s future dementia risk by over 20 per cent, reveals a new review of studies conducted in China.
For people experiencing multiple falls after this age, their future risk could increase up to 74 per cent, say scientists from the Changchun University of Chinese Medicine.
“Recurrent falls may serve as a potential clinical marker for identifying individuals at higher risk,” researchers wrote in the study published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
Dementia and falls both affect elderly populations and are commonly associated with ageing, with many studies probing the link between the two.
Studies show there could be common neurological issues linked to both falls and dementia, indicating that falls could be an early symptom of cognitive decline.
Older adults with dementia also experience more frequent falls, but it is unclear whether falls notably precede dementia.
“This study provides the first quantitative evidence, based on a systematic review and meta-analysis, demonstrating an association between a history of falls in middle-aged and older adults and the subsequent risk of dementia,” scientists wrote.
In the review research, scientists assessed seven studies, including case reports of nearly three million participants aged 40 or older, who were without dementia at baseline.
Among nearly 1.25 million middle-aged and older adults in the pooled analysis who had a history of falls future dementia incidence was over 11 per cent.
The dementia incidence was higher at 12.3 per cent among adults aged 60 years or more.
“Both single falls and multiple falls increased the risk of future all-cause dementia, and multiple falls were a more robust predictor of future dementia,” scientists wrote.
A separate analysis of three of the seven studies showed that a single fall was linked to a 20 per cent higher risk of future dementia, while multiple falls were associated with a 74 per cent higher risk.
“The results indicate that the frequency of falls exhibits a dose-response relationship with dementia risk,” they wrote.
The findings, according to researchers, show that falls are “not merely coincidental but serve as an early clinical marker of accelerating neurodegenerative decline”.
Scientists suspect three possible mechanisms could be behind this link.
One is that since falls cause injuries, they could directly lead to dementia by driving or speeding up cognitive decline.
Alternatively, researchers suspect neurodegeneration could be already underway long before a formal dementia diagnosis, which also contributes to falls.
This aligns with the observation that falling more often could lead to more advanced dementia.
Researchers also suspect a vicious cycle could be at play.
A middle-aged person experiencing a single fall could develop a fear of further falls and reduce physical and social activities, both of which are protective against dementia.
In any case, scientists call for clinicians to maintain heightened vigilance for cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults with a history of recurrent falls so that dementia is detected early.
They hope future studies can further clarify this association and support preventive strategies in ageing populations.