Traumatic brain injury and risk of early‐onset dementia: A population‐based cohort study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: We investigated the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and incidence of early-onset dementia (EOD) versus late-onset dementia (LOD). METHODS: We included 501,710 UK Biobank participants (average age 56.5). Over a median 13.6 years of follow-up, 836 developed EOD (before 65) and 8947 developed LOD (after 65). We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for TBI's association with EOD and LOD using Cox proportional hazard models with TBI as a time-varying exposure and coefficient. RESULTS: TBI was associated with higher risk of both EOD (HR: 4.06 [95% confidence interval: 3.13, 5.26]) and LOD (HR: 2.51 [2.31, 2.72]. Among participants included in both EOD and LOD analyses, the effect estimate was higher for EOD (3.41 vs. 2.80), but the difference was not statistically significant. The association of TBI with EOD was stronger in those with more severe TBIs. DISCUSSION: TBI is associated with an increased risk of EOD, with a higher risk observed in more severe injuries. HIGHLIGHTS: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant risk factor for early-onset dementia (EOD). TBI was analyzed as a time-varying exposure and time-varying coefficient. Moderate/severe/penetrating TBIs have a heightened risk of developing EOD. TBI is more strongly associated with an earlier age cut-off for dementia.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
DOI: 10.1002/alz.71387
Authors: Aishwarya Saravanan, Katherine Giorgio, Natalia Lakomski, Andrea L. C. Schneider, Barbara A. Olson‐Bullis, Behnam Sabayan, James S. Pankow, Paul S. de Vries, Kristine Yaffe, Alexa Beiser, Abbas Dehghan, Elizabeth A. Peterson, Rachel Zmora, John J. Stephen, Denise Scholtens, Maxwell Mansolf, Lenore J. Launer, Richard F. MacLehose, Pamela L. Lutsey, Norrina B. Allen, Sanaz Sedaghat
Institutions: University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of California, San Francisco, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Boston University, UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, Northwestern University, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,200
OpenAlex ID: W7154310085