Health symptoms after war zone deployment-related mild traumatic brain injury: contributions of mental disorders and lifetime brain injuries. (19th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McDonald, Scott D.; Walker, William C.; Cusack, Shannon E.; Yoash-Gantz, Ruth E.; Pickett, Treven C.; Cifu, David X.; Mid-Atlantic Mirecc Workgroup, Va; Tupler, Larry A.
• Is Part Of: Brain injury. Volume 35:Number 11(2021)
• Page Start: 1338
• Page End: 1348
• Publication Date: 2021-09-19
• Subjects: Brain concussion -- Veterans -- stress disorders -- mental health -- blast injuries -- brain injuries -- traumatic; Brain damage -- Periodicals; Brain -- Wounds and injuries -- Periodicals; Brain Injuries -- Periodicals; 617.481
• DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2021.1959058
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-9052

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Primary Objective: To gain a better understanding of the complex relationship between combat deployment-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCSs), taking into consideration a wide range of potentially mediating and confounding factors. Research Design: Cross-sectional. Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 613 U. S. military Veterans and Service Members who served during operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, or New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) and completed a structured interview of mental disorders and a battery of questionnaires. Hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Main Outcomes and Results: After accounting for mental disorders, lifetime mTBIs outside of OEF/OIF/OND deployment, medical conditions, and injury/demographic characteristics, deployment-related mTBI continued to be associated with several PPCSs (headaches, sleep disturbance, and difficulty making decisions). Deployment-related mTBI was also associated with two symptoms not normally associated with mTBI (nausea/upset stomach and numbness/tingling). Conclusions: After adjusting for a wide range of factors, OEF/OIF/OND deployment-related mTBI was still associated with PPCSs on average 10 years after the injury. These findings suggest that mTBI sustained during OEF/OIF/OND deployment may have enduring negative health effects. More studies are needed that prospectively and longitudinally track health and mental health outcomes after TBI.