The relationship between age and the self-report of health symptoms in persons with traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impact of age on health problems related to traumatic brain injury (TBI).

DESIGN

Case-control study using a survey instrument.

SETTING

Outpatient setting of a large urban tertiary care hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Young and old community dwellers with histories of TBI and control subjects matched for age.

INTERVENTION: Structured interview using the Living Life After TBI assessment tool.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Symptom reporting on 52 potential health problems.

RESULTS

Individuals with TBI reported significantly more overall health problems than those without TBI. Younger subjects with TBI reported more problems than their nondisabled, age-matched peers with their patterns of sleep as well as with their metabolic/endocrine, neurologic, and musculoskeletal systems.

CONCLUSIONS

Older people with TBI were more likely than nondisabled, age-matched peers to report problems with their metabolic/endocrine and neurologic systems. Younger people with TBI were more likely than older people with TBI to report difficulty falling asleep.