RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of age on health problems related to traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Case-control study using a survey instrument. SETTING: Outpatient setting of a large urban tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Young and old community dwellers with histories of TBI and control subjects matched for age. INTERVENTION: Structured interview using the Living Life After TBI assessment tool. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Symptom reporting on 52 potential health problems. RESULTS: Individuals with TBI reported significantly more overall health problems than those without TBI. Younger subjects with TBI reported more problems than their nondisabled, age-matched peers with their patterns of sleep as well as with their metabolic/endocrine, neurologic, and musculoskeletal systems. CONCLUSIONS: Older people with TBI were more likely than nondisabled, age-matched peers to report problems with their metabolic/endocrine and neurologic systems. Younger people with TBI were more likely than older people with TBI to report difficulty falling asleep.
