Association of Traumatic Brain Injury With the Risk of Developing Chronic Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Neurological,...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Neurological and psychiatric risks post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) are established.
• Cardiovascular and endocrine comorbidity risks after TBI, and their association with mortality, are understudied, especially in patients without prior conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, and psychiatric comorbidities following mild TBI (mTBI) and moderate to severe TBI (msTBI).
• To analyze the association between these post-TBI comorbidities and overall mortality.

Main Methods:

• A prospective longitudinal cohort study utilizing a hospital-based patient registry from 2000-2015.
• Inclusion of patients with mTBI or msTBI and age-, sex-, and race-matched unexposed individuals without prior comorbidities.
• Follow-up for up to 10 years, with data analyzed in 2021.

Main Results:

• Both mTBI and msTBI were linked to increased risks of cardiovascular (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, ischemic stroke) and endocrine disorders compared to unexposed individuals.
• Comorbidities emerged within approximately 3.5 years post-injury, with heightened risks observed in younger patients (18-40 years).
• msTBI was associated with increased mortality, and post-TBI hypertension, coronary artery disease, and adrenal insufficiency were linked to higher mortality.

Conclusions:

• TBI of any severity increases the risk of chronic cardiovascular, endocrine, and neurological comorbidities, even in individuals without pre-existing conditions.
• These medical comorbidities can manifest in relatively young TBI patients.
• Post-TBI comorbidities are associated with increased mortality, underscoring the need for targeted screening for multisystem diseases, particularly cardiometabolic conditions.