We see a lot about concussions in sports and over the past few years there’s been more reporting on concussions in the military, as well. Concussions from falls, however,  don’t make noise – unless as was the case with Senator Mitch McConnell – it happens to someone famous.  Despite the silence when it comes to concussions from falls,  falls are the leading cause of concussion. Falls are responsible for almost half of TBI-related hospitalizations. 

Falls are even more ubiquitous among people 65 and older. The CDC reports that more than 80,000 seniors have a TBI every year and more than half of these are from falls.  Common symptoms for concussion sufferers include headaches, confusion, dizziness, memory and visions problems and fatigue. Fortunately, most seniors with a concussion will recover fully within a couple of months.  However, if we consider that in the general population nearly half of concussion sufferers continue to have at least one symptom one-year post-injury, this doesn’t bode well for our senior population.  Add to that research that suggests there may be a link between TBI and cognitive decline.   With the aging baby boomer population, we are likely to see more concussions related to falls, an increasing burden on our healthcare system and caregivers and skyrocketing medical costs unless we take proactive steps.

When we consider that in the U.S. the number of persons older than 65 years is expected to increase from about 35 million in 2000 to an estimated 71 million in 2030, it’s clear we need to do more in the areas of prevention to reduce the risk of and numbers of falls, diagnostics to quickly and accurately detect concussions and treatment that will treat both the symptoms and underlying damage caused by a concussion.  We hope that Senator McConnell will see a full and rapid recovery, but let’s consider his fall and concussion a strong reminder that Congress and the Administration need to be doing more to prevent, diagnose and treat concussions.

Michael Wyand, DVM, PhD, is the CEO of Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals. Oxeia is conducting Phase 2 human clinical studies for its therapeutic drug, OXE-103, to treat concussions.