Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide each year. TBI causes death and disability in older adults which is significant considering that older adults are living longer. Falls are the number one cause of traumatic brain injury in the older population. With the growing population of older adults, it can be expected that there will be higher numbers of elderly who die or become disabled as a result of falling and sustaining a TBI. Older adults tend to have multiple medical and cognitive conditions, placing them at higher risk of sustaining a TBI, and complicating recovery. Pre-existing conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, in the presence of multiple medications and aging effects, combine to increase risks, severity, and poorer functional outcomes following TBI. Among the outcomes following TBI in older adults are persisting cognitive and functional limitations that often require some level of support. However, studies have shown that there are elderly patients with severe TBI who benefit from rehabilitation and may have more favorable outcomes. Determining prognosis after TBI is challenging relative to long-term functional consequences, due to the aging process. Therefore, the best intervention for TBI in older adults is prevention of TBI. As the aging population continues to increase in the United States, the need to design and implement evidence-based, cost-effective measures that focus on prevention of the leading causes of TBI in older adults becomes more urgent. This article addresses the normal effects of aging, the epidemiology of aging, and the relationship of aging to risks, consequences, and prognosis following TBI in older adults. Additionally, medical care and treatment, acute and chronic consequences, and assumptions and controversies in approaches to management of acute TBI in this population are discussed. Finally, strategies for both the acute and chronic phases of rehabilitation are addressed.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem, especially in the elderly population. Falls are the number one risk of sustaining a TBI in the elderly. This article addresses the epidemiology of aging, the relationship of aging to risks, consequences, and prognosis following TBI in older adults. Medical care and treatment, acute and chronic consequences, and approaches to rehabilitation are discussed. Among strategies addressed are those that focus on prevention of falls. Prevention of falls is the best intervention for reducing risk of TBI among the elderly.
Read more on KudosThe following have contributed to this summary: Erin Mattingly and Carole Roth