A single blow to the head may increase the risk of Parkinson's disease by more than 50 percent, according to new research. Half of the study participants had been diagnosed with either a mild, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury and half had not. A total of 949 of the participants with traumatic brain injury (0.58 percent) developed Parkinson's disease, compared to 513 of the participants with no traumatic brain injury (0.31 percent). Those with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury had an 83 percent increased risk, and those with mild traumatic brain injury had a 56 percent increased risk of Parkinson's. Researchers also found that those with any form of traumatic brain injury were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease an average of two years earlier than those without traumatic brain injury.

Source: Daily Mail April 18, 2018 20:02 UTC