People with Brain Injuries Have Higher Risk of Premature Death

Brain injuries increase odds of early death, a new study has found. Researchers say that people who've had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are three times more likely to die early, often due to suicides or other injuries.

The study, conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Oxford, found that concussion- a milder type of head injury- doubled the risk of premature death.

Data for the study came from medical records of 218,300 TBI survivors, 150,513 siblings of TBI survivors. Researchers also looked at medical data of two million people from the general population. In the study, premature death was defined as death before 56 years of age.

The study didn't show a co-relational link between TBI and early death, but highlighted a causal one. Researchers found that survivors of TBI were three times more likely to die early than the controls and 2.6 times more likely than their siblings. The team accounted for genetic factors and even upbringing, but found that TBI was independently associated with the increased risk of premature death.

Also, people who abused drugs or had a history of psychotic illness had the highest risk of dying early.

People with head injuries were more likely to commit suicide or be involved in a car accident. Researchers say that the higher risk of accidents might be due to impaired decision-making in these people.

The study is published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry

"These patients are more than twice as likely to kill themselves as unaffected siblings", said study co-author Niklas Långström, professor at Karolinska Institutet, according to a news release. "Our results suggest that TBI survivors should be monitored carefully for signs of depression, substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders, which are all treatable conditions. It may be a good idea to treat some TBI patients as suffering from a chronic problem requiring longer term management just like epilepsy or diabetes."

Even Mild injuries to the brain or concussion during sports can damage the brain that can take a while to recover. People who have had repeated concussions have been known to have severe brain damage. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that each year about 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury and about 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild TBI.

A gloomy future for Michael Schumacher?

Dr Richard Greenwood, an acute brain injury specialist from University College London Hospital has said that former motor-racing driver Michael Schumacher will have to adjust to a very different life post-recovery.

The Seven-time Formula 1 world champion suffered from head injury while skiing in Meribel, France. He is in a medically induced coma since December 29 in a hospital in Grenoble.

One German newspaper reported that Schumacher might be in coma for the rest of his life.