Previous studies have focused on men, and this one shows that women aren't exempted from the consequences of service-related neuropsychiatric injury.
Many veterans have been exposed to significant traumas, both physical and emotional, and these can result in traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are concerns that these conditions can increase the risk of dementia. In a cohort study of 109,140 female veterans aged ≥55 receiving care at Veterans Health Administration centers over an 11-year period, researchers examined International Classifications of Diseases–9 codes to determine whether depression, TBI, PTSD, or other medical conditions had been diagnosed at baseline and whether there were associations between those conditions and a subsequent diagnosis of dementia.
Overall, 4% developed dementia; those without military-associated risk …
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)