Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan-Feb;36(1):1-9.
doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000573.

Estimates of Long-Term Disability Among US Service Members With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Yll Agimi  1 , Donald Marion, Karen Schwab, Katharine Stout
Affiliations

Estimates of Long-Term Disability Among US Service Members With Traumatic Brain Injuries

Yll Agimi et al. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2021 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant health issue in the US military. The purpose of this study was to estimate the probability of long-term disability among hospitalized service members (SMs) with TBIs, using the South Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury and Follow-up Registry (SCTBIFR) model developed on civilian hospitalized patients.

Methods: We identified military patients in military or civilian hospitals or theater level 3 to 5 military treatment facilities (MTFs) whose first TBI occurred between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2015. TBI-related disability at 1-year post-hospital discharge was estimated using regression coefficients from the SCTBIFR.

Results: Among the identified 4877 SMs, an estimated 65.6% of SMs with severe TBI, 56.2% with penetrating TBI, 31.4% with moderate TBI, and 12.0% with mild TBI are predicted to develop long-term disability. TBI patients identified at theater level 4 and 5 MTFs had an average long-term disability rate of 56.9% and 61.1%, respectively. In total, we estimate that 25.2% of all SMs hospitalized with TBI will develop long-term disability.

Conclusion: Applying SCTBIFR long-term probability estimates to US SMs with TBIs provides useful disability estimates to inform providers and health systems on the likelihood that particular subgroups of TBI patients will require continued support and long-term care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Traumatic brain injury in the United States: fact sheet. http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html . Published 2015. Accessed January 28, 2015.
    1. Zaloshnja E, Miller T, Langlois JA, Selassie AW. Prevalence of long-term disability from traumatic brain injury in the civilian population of the United States, 2005. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2008;23(6):394–400.
    1. Selassie AW, Zaloshnja E, Langlois JA, Miller T, Jones P, Steiner C. Incidence of long-term disability following traumatic brain injury hospitalization, United States, 2003. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2008;23(2):123–131.
    1. Agimi Y, Regasa LE, Stout KC. Incidence of traumatic brain injury in the U.S. Military, 2010-2014. Mil Med. 2019;184(5/6):e233–e241.
    1. Defense Manpower Data Center. Contingency Tracking System Deployment File for Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. Seaside, CA: US Department of Defense; 2013.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources