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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: There have yet to be any large scale studies in China on headaches following traumatic brain injury (TBI). We evaluate the incidence of headache following TBI and investigate risk factors and functional outcome in a large tertiary center with a high case load.
METHODS: 543 patients (82% male, 18% female) with a mean age of 48.4±18.6 years presenting with TBI were prospectively enrolled in this study between March 2011 and July 2013. Patient demographics, severity of TBI, incidence and classification of headache, and treatment information were collected during initial hospitalization and at 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up.
RESULTS: Of our 543 patients (82% male, 18% female) with a mean age of 48.4±18.6 years, 62% were injured in motor vehicle collisions and 27% in falls. The vast majority of patients (97%) were considered to have mild TBI. Follow-up rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 91%, 75%, and 61%, respectively. Only 12% of patients reported pre-TBI headaches whereas 58% of respondents reported headache at 3 month follow-up, 54% at 6 month follow-up, and 49% at 1 year follow-up. No statistically significant correlations between age, sex, and/or TBI severity and posttraumatic headaches were observed.
CONCLUSION: We present the findings of the first study on headaches following TBI in China. Headaches were found to occur in the majority of TBI patients and persisted through the first year following injury. The incidence of posttraumatic headache observed here is comparable to previously published studies outside of China.
Language: en |