Title: Post Traumatic Disability among Patients with Head Injury in a Tertiary Care Centre
Authors: Sharmad M S, Raj S Chandran, Sabina S R, Rajmohan K, Anilkumar P
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i1.134
Abstract
Background: Traumatic Brain injury, according to the World Health Organization, will surpass many diseases as a major health problem and leading cause of disability by the year 2020.It can have far reaching consequences and will affect the physical, psychological and socioeconomic status of not only the individual but his family and the entire society in the long run.
Aim: The objective of the study was to estimate the proportion of the post traumatic disability among patients with head trauma and to determine the association of selected variables with post traumatic disability.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on a sample of 200 head injury patients.
Results: The study showed that 62% of patients with head trauma had functional impairment and 47% had cognitive impairment. The study findings show that a statistically significant association exit between the variables age, place of residence, financial status, cause of injury, history of alcoholism, duration of hospitalization with post traumatic disability in terms of functional impairment. Statistically significant association was also observed between occurrence of seizure episodes and cognitive impairment of patients after head trauma.
Conclusion: Early detection and intervention of disability in patients with traumatic brain injury can go a long way towards reducing the burden of disability in the society.
Keywords: post traumatic disability; functional impairment; cognitive impairment.
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