Health Status and Performance of United States Air Force Airmen Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

摘要

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to determine the agreement between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) definition of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and the clinical judgment of a board-certified neurologist-based upon medical records review; and (2) to utilize a historical prospective design in a large, well documented United States Air Force (USAF) population to determine possible performance and health decrements among USAF service members who have been diagnosed with mTBI. The scope of the study includes all active duty USAF men and women who served for 6 or more months from October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2008. The study included 518,893 Airmen with 5,065 (or almost 1%) who met the CDC definition of mTBI. This retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the following: (1) the reliability and validity of using the CDC's ICD-9-CM codes to identify individuals with an mTBI according to the CDC's Clinical Record Data Definition from medical records located at Wright-Patterson Medical Center (WPMC), (2) the short- and long-term adverse health outcomes associated with mTBI, and (3) the risk for subsequent mishaps post-mTBI. The results of the study are important in understanding the possible adverse performance and health decrements associated with mTBI.