Citation

Lew HL, Pogoda TK, Baker E, Stolzmann KL, Meterko M, Cifu DX, Amara J, Hendricks AM. J. Head Trauma Rehabil. 2011; 26(6): 489-496.

Affiliation

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) (Dr Lew); Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia (Drs Lew and Cifu); Center for Organization, Leadership and Management Research, VA Boston Healthcare System (Drs Pogoda, Baker, Meterko, and Ms Stolzmann); Department of Health Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs Pogoda, Meterko, and Hendricks); Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, Virgina (Dr Cifu); Defense Resources Management Institute, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California (Dr Amara); and Health Care Financing & Economics, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Hendricks).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/HTR.0b013e318204e54b

PMID

21386715

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: To describe the prevalence of self-reported rates of auditory, visual, and dual sensory impairment (DSI) in Afghanistan and Iraq war Veterans receiving traumatic brain injury (TBI) evaluations. DESIGN:: Retrospective medical chart review. PARTICIPANTS:: Thirty-six thousand nine hundred nineteen Veterans who received a TBI evaluation between October 2007 and June 2009. Final sample included 12,521 subjects judged to have deployment-related TBI and a comparison group of 9106 participants with no evidence of TBI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:: Self-reported auditory and visual impairment. RESULTS:: Self-reported sensory impairment rates were: 34.6% for DSI, 31.3% for auditory impairment only, 9.9% for visual impairment only, and 24.2% for none/mild sensory impairment. Those with TBI and blast exposure had highest rate of DSI. Regression analyses showed that auditory impairment was the strongest predictor of visual impairment, and vice versa, suggesting these impairments may derive from a common source. CONCLUSIONS:: Veterans who self-report clinically significant hearing or vision difficulty during routine TBI evaluation should be evaluated systematically and comprehensively to determine the extent of sensory impairment. Identifying DSI could allow clinicians to collaborate and maximize rehabilitation.

Language: en