Head Injury Associated with Doubled Mortality Rate Long-Term, Penn Study Finds

According to the CDC, approximately 2.7 million people in the USA suffer traumatic brain injuries annually. Collectively, over 23 million Americans aged over 40 with a history of a traumatic brain injury that involved loss of consciousness.

While suffering a traumatic brain injury does not always mean a death sentence, a recent study has shown that the mortality rate increases significantly among victims of head injuries.

Scope of the Study

The study was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and published in JAMA Neurology. According to the study, subjects that had had a head injury in the 30-year study period exhibited a double mortality rate compared to individuals that never had a head injury.

The study also showed that the mortality rates increased with the severity of the injuries, with moderate-to-severe head injuries having almost three times the mortality rate of individuals that have never suffered a head injury.

Causes of Head Injuries

Head injuries can result from how many courses. The Top of the current list of causes of head injuries is falling, which accounts for 40% of all head injuries, followed by motor vehicle accidents, which account for 20%.

Other causes include sports activities, violence, and medical conditions. Besides its relationship with increased mortality rate, head injuries can result in disability, dementia, late-onset epilepsy, and stroke.

Findings of the Study

Past studies primarily focused on the short-term mortality rate for hospitalized patients. But this study takes a longitudinal approach by evaluating data gathered for 30 years and involving over 13,000 participants not in a hospital setting.

The purpose of gathering data from non-hospitalized participants was to help the researchers determine if head injuries impact adult mortality rates in the long term. Of the 13,000 participants, 18.4% reported having had one or more head injuries during the study.

Of the participants that reported a head injury, 12.4% were as moderate or severe.  The study also showed that the median time between suffering, injury, and death was 4.7 years.

The study was not only focused on death that is directly linked to head injuries but deaths resulting from all causes. During the study period, death from all causes among individuals with a history of head injuries was 64.6 percent, and 54.6 percent among those who didn’t.

Mortality Rates

After considering participant characteristics, the study showed a 2.21 percent higher mortality rate for individuals with a head injury history than those without one. Among individuals with moderate to severe injuries, the mortality rate was 2.87 percent higher.

According to Holly Elser, MD, PhD, MPH, a Neurology resident at Penn and a lead author in the study, the data shows an association between mortality rate in the long term and head injuries.

“This is why safety measures such as wearing helmets and wearing a seat belt when driving cannot be over-emphasized.  Even when you may not die due to your head injuries or days after the accident, it could impact your life long-term. So it is better to be safe than sorry,” says attorney David Benowitz.

Neurological Disorders and Head Injuries

The participants’ most common causes of death were cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders. For persons with a history of head injuries, the leading cause of death for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and unintentional injuries like falls or more frequent.

The study doesn’t answer why neurodegenerative diseases are the most common cause of death among individuals with a history of head injuries, underscoring the need for further studies.