Overall outcome, functioning, and disability in older adults 3 to 14 years after traumatic brain injury.
Charlotta von Seth, Anders Lewén, Marianne Lannsjö and 2 others
PMID 40970315WHAT IT FOUND
Years after TBI, many older adults kept the same overall outcome, while some improved and some worsened.
Mild and moderate injury often meant better independence, but assistance, mobility aids, swallowing problems, and smell or taste change were still reported.
Key findings
01Of 78 participants with paired Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended scores, 31 had the same score, 17 had a higher score, and 30 had a lower score at long-term follow-up.
02On the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4, 45 participants had a relatively good outcome, 8 had mild limitations, 18 were in the mild to moderate range, 6 were in the moderate to severe range, and 2 had severe limitations.
03Outcome scores were linked to injury severity, not to gender, age at injury, or time since injury.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 79 of 184 invited older adults took part, and 105 nonparticipants did not, so people with poorer outcomes or less social support may be missing. The study included only older adults admitted to a neurointensive care unit, so it does not describe older adults with traumatic brain injury who were not admitted there. The severe traumatic brain injury group had only 6 participants, so results for severe injury are limited. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show why outcomes changed or whether rehabilitation improved them. The Functional Independence Measure had ceiling effects for mild and moderate injury and floor effects for severe injury, so it may not capture all disability. Cause of death for 170 deceased potential participants was not known.
Declared interests
This study was supported by grants from the Norrbacka Eugenia Foundation, Research funds at the Uppsala University Hospital, Fonden för rehabilitering och medicinsk forskning, and The Brain Injury Association Hjärnkraft. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the relatively good Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 result as evidence that most older adults with traumatic brain injury have no lasting disability. Almost half needed assistance, one third used a walking device, and one quarter used a wheelchair, and the severe injury group had very low independence scores.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →