Most people know the signs of a head injury that could present after a serious vehicle accident, but what most people don’t realize is that smaller hits to the head over the course of your lifetime could increase your chances of suffering from dementia. A new Bay Area study found that mild brain injuries more than double the risk of dementia later in life. Mild head injuries are those that create a dazed feeling but do not lead to unconsciousness.

A growing volume of research in the academic and medical fields connects severe head impact to future problems. But anyone who had a moderate to severe trauma at any time of their life had a 3.77 times higher risk for developing dementia in the future, compared with people who had never sustained a brain injury. This is why it is so important for car accident victims to be fully evaluated by medical professionals as soon as the accident occurs, since even minor head injuries can lead to problems, now and in the future. Dementia and lesser traumas has not been explored that much in the research, including simple concussions.

However, those people who did not lose consciousness as a result of a head injury but suffered a concussion with symptoms like dizziness, headaches, loss of memory and wobbly balance, had 2.36 times the risk of developing dementia in the future. The bottom line is that people who have sustained any type of head injury are at a higher risk of dementia in the future than others. Unfortunately, head injury is just one of many risk factors for dementia, but it can be one that does not illustrate the connection until much later in life.

If you have seriously been hurt in an accident in San Diego and are curious about your rights, you need to schedule a consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer who can walk you through every aspect of your legal claim.