Long-Term Consequences of Head Injury

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the long-term consequences of head injury resulting from police reported tow-away motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 1993. The results are presented in terms of the Functional Capacity Index (FCI), which quantifies the relative functional capacity of a previously healthy adult 1 year postinjury, and Life-years Lost to Injury (LLI), defined as the FCI value times the injured person's life expectancy. FCI values vary from 0 for no effect to 1.0 for complete loss of function. Total LLI is indicative of the effect on society, and average LLI represents the effect of an injury on an "average" individual in the injured population. The results show that 1.7 times as many people with a brain injury resulting from a motor vehicle crash die than survive, and the Life-years Lost to Death are 1.8 times greater for these fatalities than the Life-years Lost to Injury for the surviving population. The injuries with the greatest FCI for survivors were unconsciousness, brain stem, and cerebrum injuries, all with FCI values at or near 1.0. The average LLI for these injury categories were 44.4, 45.1, and 42.8 years, respectively. The total LLI for these injuries were 57,843, 18,364, and 11,725 years, respectively. The principal conclusion is that motor vehicle related head injuries continue to have major consequences on the injured individuals, and considerable effect on society as a whole.

Key words:

consequences; function; incidence; motor-vehicle; outcome