Neurotrauma Reports (Mar 2024)

Life After Traumatic Brain Injury: Effects on the Lifestyle and Quality of Life of Community-Dwelling Patients

  • Yi-Chia Wei,
  • Chih-Ken Chen,
  • Chemin Lin,
  • Yu-Chiau Shyu,
  • Pin-Yuan Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1089/NEUR.2023.0113
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1
pp. 159 – 171

Abstract

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Persons who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) may encounter a range of changes in their physical, mental, and cognitive functions as well as high fatigue levels. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by persons after TBI, we conducted multi-domain assessments among community-dwelling persons with a history of TBI and compared them with age- and sex-matched controls from the Northeastern Taiwan Community Medicine Research Cohort between 2019 and 2021. A total of 168 persons with TBI and 672 non-TBI controls were not different in terms of demographics, comorbidities, and physiological features. However, compared with the non-TBI group, the TBI group had a distinct lifestyle that involved increased reliance on analgesics (6.9% vs. 15.0%, respectively; p?=?0.001) and sleep aids (p?=?0.008), which negatively affected their quality of life. Moreover, they consumed more coffee (p?<?0.001), tea (p?<?0.001), cigarettes (p?=?0.002), and betel nuts (p?=?0.032) than did the non-TBI group. Notably, the use of coffee had a positive effect on the quality of life of the TBI group (F?=?4.034; p?=?0.045). Further, compared with the non-TBI group, the TBI group had increased risks of sarcopenia (p?=?0.003), malnutrition (p?=?0.003), and anxiety (p?=?0.029) and reduced blood levels of vitamin D (29.83???10.39 vs. 24.20???6.59?ng/mL, respectively; p?<?0.001). Overall, the TBI group had a reduced health-related quality of life, with significant challenges related to physical health, mental well-being, social interactions, pain management, and fatigue levels. Moreover, the TBI group experienced poorer sleep quality and efficiency than did the non-TBI group. In conclusion, persons who have sustained brain injuries that require comprehensive and holistic care that includes lifestyle modification, mental and physical healthcare plans, and increased long-term support from their communities. ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04839796)

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