Older adults who experience a fall have a notably higher risk for receiving a dementia diagnosis within one year, according to a new study from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. 

Using Medicare claims data for more than two million older adults who experienced some type of injury, the researchers found a 21% increased risk for dementia diagnosis among those who fell. In addition, nearly 11% of all older adults who fell received a subsequent dementia diagnosis. 

“I often see patients admitted after falls, which are among the most common reasons for trauma center admissions and can lead to severe injuries. This raises an important question: Why are these falls happening in the first place?” study lead author Alexander Ordoobadi said in a statement. “We treat the injuries, provide rehabilitation, but often overlook the underlying risk factors that contribute to falls despite a growing body of evidence suggesting a link between falls and cognitive decline.” 

Half of the 2.5 million patients included in the data received their injuries via a fall. 

The results emphasize the importance of both fall prevention and screening of older adults who have experienced falls for potential signs of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. 

“The relationship between falls and dementia appears to be a two-way street,” study senior author Molly Jarman said in a statement. “Cognitive decline can increase the likelihood of falls, but trauma from those falls may also accelerate dementia’s progression and make a diagnosis more likely down the line.”