Postconcussive symptom reporting among US combat veterans with mild traumatic brain injury from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between postconcussive symptoms and mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) among combat veterans while adjusting for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

PATIENTS: Military personnel with provider-diagnosed MTBI (n = 334) or nonhead injury (n = 658) were identified from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Post-Deployment Health Assessments and Re-Assessments were used to examine postconcussive symptoms and self-rated health.

RESULTS

Personnel with MTBI were more likely to report headache (odds ratio [OR] = 3.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.19-5.17), back pain (OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.23-2.60), memory problems (OR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.20-2.88), tinnitus (OR = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.10-2.41), and dizziness (OR = 2.13; 95% CI = 1.06-4.29) compared with those with non-head injuries. Among those with MTBI, self-reported decline in health was associated with memory problems (OR = 5.07; 95% CI = 2.56-10.02) and dizziness (OR = 10.60; 95% CI = 3.48-32.27).

CONCLUSIONS

Mild traumatic brain injury is associated with reports of negative health consequences among combat veterans even when accounting for co-occurring psychological morbidity. The identification of postconcussive symptoms related to declines in a service member's self-rated health may be important in targeting and prioritizing clinical interventions.