Geriatric dementia after traumatic brain injury may be prevented by the construction of innovative products

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Hans von Holst

Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden

: J Aging Geriatr Med

Abstract

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Elderly people have an increased risk of head injury mainly due to fall. A Swedish investigation has recently shown that traumatic brain injury substantially increases the risk of developing dementia among elderly people. To prevent geriatric dementia following traumatic brain injury it is important to find any basic denominators between traumatic brain injury and geriatric dementia. In several consecutive studies we found a protein disturbance after both dynamic and static impact to the head and in line with geriatric dementia. The protein disturbance may, among other clinical conditions, result in swollen brain tissue and which is devastating among elderly people. In common for traumatic brain injury and geriatric dementia is thus a metabolic disturbance in protein metabolism and which may, to some extent, be prevented by different innovative products. These include construction of moving floors, safety gloves and headbands. All these innovations aimed for adult and elderly people have the potential to absorb the energy following a fall thereby avoiding the consequences of an impact to the head. Thus, the most optimal activity to avoid injuries among elderly individuals and to some extent consider the reduction of dementia, is to fully prevent them and this opens up for a number of innovative products when it comes to primary prevention.

Biography

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Hans von Holst received his MD degree in 1976 and specialist in Neurosurgery 1982, Karolinska University Hospital. In 1985 he earned his PhD and Associate Professorship in Neurosurgery, Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet and appointed as senior neurosurgeon 1988 - 2015. During 1991-1996 he was Chairman of the Dept of Neurosurgery and Division Manager of the Neuroclinics at Karolinska University Hospital, respectively. Between, 1994-2014 he was appointed as Professor in Neuroengineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and visiting Professor at Karolinska Institutet 2006-2012, he has published over 150 original papers in reputed journals, reviews and books including editorial board member in several journals.

E-mail: hvh@cenesy.com