Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mortality, life expectancy, risk factors for death, and
causes of death in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN:
Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Used data from an inpatient rehabilitation
facility, the Social Security Death Index, death certificates, and the U.S.
population age-race-sex-specific and cause-specific mortality rates.
PARTICIPANTS: Persons with TBI (N=1678) surviving to their first anniversary of
injury admitted to rehabilitation from an acute care hospital within 1 year of
injury between 1961 and 2002. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Vital status, standardized mortality ratio, life expectancy, cause of
death. RESULTS: Persons with TBI were 1.5 times more likely to die than persons
in the general population of similar age, sex, and race, resulting in an
estimated average life expectancy reduction of 4 years. Within the TBI
population, the strongest independent risk factors for death after 1 year
postinjury were being older, being male, having less education, having a longer
hospitalization, having an earlier year of injury, and being in a vegetative
state at rehabilitation discharge. After 1 year postinjury, persons with TBI were
49 times more likely to die of aspiration pneumonia, 22 times more likely to die
of seizures, 4 times more likely to die of pneumonia, 3 times more likely to
commit suicide, and 2.5 times more likely to die of digestive conditions than
persons in the general population of similar age, sex, and race. CONCLUSIONS:
This study demonstrated life expectancy after TBI rehabilitation is reduced and
associated with specific risk factors and causes of death.

Langue : ANGLAIS