Mild Head Injury May Lead to Long-Term Disability
 

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Head injuries--even those initially thought to be mild--may lead to more long-term disabilities than previously thought, according to a new study from Scotland. And many people with head injuries may not be receiving the long-term care they need, according to researchers.

In the study, nearly half of all people with a head injury, including those whose injury was initially classified as mild, were disabled to some extent one year after the injury, researchers report. ``It may be inappropriate to class these injuries as mild,'' according to a team of researchers led by Dr. Graham M. Teasdale, of the University of Glasgow.

The researchers collected information from nearly 3,000 Glasgow residents who had experienced a head injury. After narrowing this group down to a smaller sample, they contacted 549 people 1 year after they were injured. People whose injuries were originally classified as severe were more likely than other head injury patients to have died or to remain in a vegetative state, according to the report in the June 17th issue of the British Medical Journal.

However, the team found higher than expected rates of moderate or severe disability in patients with less serious head injuries. One year afterward, the rates of disability were 47%, 45% and 48% in people with mild, moderate and severe head injuries, respectively.

Despite the high rate of disability, many people with head injuries appeared to lack proper care, according to the report. Overall, disabled people received little follow-up care, with slightly less than half being treated in a hospital after their initial stay. In addition, only 28% reported receiving help with rehabilitation and 15% reported any contact with a social worker.

Based on this study, the researchers estimate that each year, 100 to 150 people per 100,000 residents in Glasgow may become disabled due to head injuries, a rate that is considerably higher than previous estimates.

SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2000;320:1631-1635.

 


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