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Research News

Traumatic brain injury carries long term health risks, finds study

BMJ 2014; 348 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g294 (Published 20 January 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g294
  1. Matthew Limb
  1. 1London

Survivors of traumatic brain injuries face elevated health risks in later life that have become a “hidden” problem, say specialists.

Researchers said new findings showed that people who survived for six months after a traumatic brain injury were three times more likely than the general population to die prematurely or from suicide or fatal injuries.

Such survivors were found to have higher rates of depression and drug or alcohol abuse, both before and after their injury. Their risk of premature death was higher still—most commonly from suicide, road crashes, and falls, the research said.

Seena Fazel, the lead author of the study, said that current treatment guidelines that focused on short term treatment and recovery after traumatic brain …

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