Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with traumatic brain injury stratified by age
| Characteristic N(%) or mean ± standard deviation | 17–39 years N = 1153 | 40–64 years N = 758 | 65–90 years N = 240 | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 27.0 ± 6.1 | 51.6 ± 6.9 | 72.5 ± 6.4 | <0.001 |
| Female | 332 (28.79%) | 240 (31.66%) | 83 (34.58%) | 0.138 |
| Race | ||||
| White | 855 (74.87%) | 594 (79.41%) | 204 (86.08%) | <0.001 |
| Black | 202 (17.69%) | 119 (15.91%) | 20 (8.44%) | |
| Other | 85 (7.44%) | 35 (4.68%) | 13 (5.49%) | |
| Hispanic | 265 (23.23%) | 127 (16.96%) | 16 (6.78%) | <0.001 |
| Education, years | 13.1 ± 2.4 | 13.6 ± 3.2 | 14.2 ± 3.2 | <0.001 |
| Past medical history | ||||
| Hypertension | 31 (2.69%) | 186 (25.54%) | 123 (51.25%) | <0.001 |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 9 (0.78%) | 63 (8.31%) | 53 (22.08%) | <0.001 |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 0 (0%) | 5 (0.66%) | 12 (5.00%) | <0.001 |
| Stroke or transient ischaemic attack | 3 (0.26%) | 9 (1.19%) | 17 (7.08%) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes | 15 (1.3%) | 94 (12.4%) | 59 (24.58%) | <0.001 |
| Renal disease | 43 (3.73%) | 55 (7.26%) | 25 (10.42%) | <0.001 |
| Pulmonary disease | 126 (10.94%) | 110 (14.51%) | 47 (19.58%) | 0.001 |
| Prior traumatic brain injury | 351 (31.91%) | 215 (30.11%) | 56 (25.0%) | 0.131 |
| Psychiatric history | 244 (21.18%) | 195 (25.73%) | 57 (23.75%) | 0.072 |
| Alcohol abuse | 514 (48.26%) | 277 (39.57%) | 60 (27.40%) | <0.001 |
| Illicit drug use | 404 (38.04%) | 105 (15.15%) | 8 (3.72%) | <0.001 |
| Injury mechanism | ||||
| Fall | 172 (14.94%) | 240 (31.96%) | 139 (57.92%) | <0.001 |
| Road traffic accident | 781 (67.85%) | 392 (52.2%) | 83 (34.58%) | |
| Violence/assault | 90 (7.82%) | 54 (7.19%) | 5 (2.08%) | |
| Other/unknown | 108 (9.38%) | 65 (8.66%) | 13 (5.42%) | |
| Presenting Glasgow Coma Scale | ||||
| 3–8 | 158 (14.04%) | 104 (14.04%) | 22 (9.44%) | 0.182 |
| 9–12 | 56 (4.98%) | 39 (5.26%) | 7 (3%) | |
| 13–15 | 911 (81.00%) | 598 (80.7%) | 204 (87.55%) | |
| Disposition | ||||
| Emergency department discharge | 270 (23.42%) | 161 (21.24%) | 37 (15.42%) | 0.003 |
| Hospital ward admit | 415 (35.99%) | 243 (32.06%) | 77 (32.08%) | |
| Intensive care unit admit | 468 (40.59%) | 354 (46.7%) | 126 (52.5%) | |
| Loss of consciousness | ||||
| Yes | 1002 (87.13%) | 637 (84.15%) | 182 (75.83%) | <0.001 |
| No | 101 (8.78%) | 77 (10.17%) | 46 (19.17%) | |
| Unknown | 47 (4.09%) | 43 (5.68%) | 12 (5.00%) | |
| Post-traumatic amnesia | ||||
| Yes | 836 (72.7%) | 537 (70.94%) | 165 (68.75%) | 0.678 |
| No | 180 (15.65%) | 123 (16.25%) | 45 (18.75%) | |
| Unknown | 134 (11.65%) | 97 (12.81%) | 30 (12.5%) | |
| Intracranial trauma on CT | 461 (39.98%) | 391 (51.58%) | 171 (71.25%) | <0.001 |
| Subarachnoid haemorrhage | 315 (27.37%) | 297 (39.39%) | 128 (53.33%) | <0.001 |
| Epidural haematoma | 114 (9.9%) | 47 (6.24%) | 7 (2.92%) | <0.001 |
| Subdural haematoma | 245 (21.29%) | 223 (29.61%) | 108 (45.0%) | <0.001 |
| Intraventricular haemorrhage | 41 (3.56%) | 34 (4.51%) | 26 (10.83%) | <0.001 |
| Contusion | 228 (19.81%) | 161 (21.38%) | 56 (23.33%) | 0.421 |
| Blood draw time post-injury, hours | 14.3 ± 6.3 | 14.7 ± 6.6 | 16.0 ± 6.7 | <0.001 |