Moderate-to-Severe TBI: A Chronic Disease That Leads to Medical and Psychiatric Disorders, as Well as Dementia

Studies examining the relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and dementia have had inconsistent findings complicated by factors such as comorbidities and recall bias. This retrospective, record-review study examines TBI, dementia, and other co-occurring psychiatric and medical disorders. The participants, 188,764 U.S. veterans, aged >55 and without baseline dementia, were assessed in 2000–2003 and 2003–2012.

Occurrence of TBI (but not its date) was documented through ICD-9-CM codes. Dementias included clinical (nonpathological) diagnoses. At baseline, 1229 veterans (0.65%) had a TBI diagnosis; only 4% had postconcussion syndrome, 14% had “late effects of TBI,” and 57% of TBIs were classified as open wounds. TBI was associated with…