Cognitive dysfunction after closed head injury: contributions of demographic, injury severity and other factors

Previous studies have identified a number of variables which help to predict cognitive dysfunction following closed head injury (CHI) The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the predictive utility of a number of risk factors in a large sample of trauma patients who suffered CHI and underwent neuropsychological assessment Risk factors included demographic variables, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), CT scan, loss of consciousness (LOC), and blood alcohol level (BAL) Multiple regression was used to assess the role of these variables in predicting cognitive dysfunction Results suggested that LOC did not predict cognitive dysfunction Demographic factors did emerge as predictors of cognitive dysfunction BAL was correlated with initial GCS, but did not predict cognitive dysfunction once post-traumatic amnesia cleared.