Rates of symptom reporting following traumatic brain injury

Abstract

This study examines rates of reporting of new or worse post-traumatic symptoms for patients with a broad range of injury severity at 1 month and 1 year after traumatic brain injury (TBI), as compared with those whose injury spared the head, and assesses variables related to symptom reporting at 1 year post-injury. Seven hundred thirty two TBI subjects and 120 general trauma comparison (TC) subjects provided new or worse symptom information at 1 month and/or 1 year post-injury. Symptom reporting at 1 year post-injury was compared in subgroups based on basic demographics, preexisting conditions, and severity of brain injury. The TBI group reported signifi cantly more symptoms at 1 month and 1 year after injury than TCs (each p < .001). Although symptom endorsement declined from 1 month to 1 year, 53% of people with TBI and 24% of TC continued to report 3 or more symptoms at 1 year post-injury. Symptom reporting in the TBI group was signifi cantly related to age, gender, preinjury alcohol abuse, pre-injury psychiatric history, and severity of TBI. Symptom reporting is common following a traumatic injury and continues to be experienced by a substantial number of TBI subjects of all severity levels at 1 year post-injury. ( JINS , 2010, 16 , 401-411.)

Natural History of Headache after Traumatic Brain Injury

“…While our mild group is likely more severely injured than those with mild TBI referred to in the literature, our rates of PTH with varying levels of severity of brain injury are similar and high. Our finding is consistent with the findings of a prior study which reported on rates of post-traumatic symptoms that included headache at 1 year in a prospectively studied group of participants with TBI with a broad range of TBI severity (Dikmen et al, 2010). Future studies will need to include similar definitions of TBI severity as well as headache in representative and non-select cases.…”

“…H eadache is one of the most commonly reported symptoms following traumatic brain injury (TBI; Dikmen et al, 2010;Packard, 2005). Awareness of TBI-related symptoms, including headache, has increased as attention is focused on concussion or mild TBI sustained in sports injuries (Makdissi et al, 2010;Pellman et al, 2004), and as a result of the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (Hoge et al, 2008).…”

Does the fear avoidance model explain persistent symptoms after traumatic brain injury?

“…Previous studies have reported mixed findings regarding the number of complaints and injury severity. Some studies found similar results demonstrating equal or higher levels of complaints in patients with mTBI compared to patients with moderate to severe TBI on the one hand (65,66). On the other hand, van der Horn, et al (67) found increasing symptom reporting with increasing brain injury severity.…”

Neuropsychological Sequelae of PTSD and TBI Following War Deployment among OEF/OIF Veterans

“…Evidence clearly suggests that, for most people, the cognitive effects of mTBI resolve within days to three months post-injury (for meta-analyses see: Belanger et al, 2005;Frenchman et al, 2005;Schretlen & Shapiro, 2003). Yet, despite generally good long-term prognosis for individuals who experience a mTBI, a subset report the subjective experience of chronic cognitive deficits, especially in attention and memory (e.g., Dikmen, Machamer, Fann, & Temkin, 2010;Hartlage, Durant-Wilson, & Patch, 2001;Binder, Rohling, & Larrabee, 1997;Rimel, Giordani, Barth, Boll, & Jane, 1981).…”