title: Sex differences in injury severity and outcome measures after traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of a patient's sex on various measures of injury severity and outcome after rehabilitation in a matched sample of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective data were retrieved from a database that contains information routinely collected on all patients admitted for inpatient rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatient rehabilitation unit of major teaching hospital in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four women with TBI after a motor vehicle crash (MVC) were identified from the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Database. An equal number of men were then matched for age and years of education. All subjects met the study admission criteria of having being involved in a high-speed MVC. Exclusion criteria included history of a previous head injury, chronic amnesia, psychiatric disturbance, and significant alcohol and/or substance abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Differences, by sex, in patient scores on measures of injury severity and outcome after TBI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men had significantly greater levels of injury severity as indicated by the Glasgow Coma Scale scores (U=994.0, P=.002) and length of posttraumatic amnesia (U=880.0, P=.016) when compared with women. No significant sex differences existed in the outcome measures or in injuries not associated with the central nervous system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few investigations exist on the effect of patient sex on measures of injury severity and outcome after a TBI. In the present study, men's levels of injury severity were greater than women's despite the same admission criteria (high-speed MVC) being applied to both sexes.
authors.affiliation: Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service, Westmead Hospital, Wentworthville, NSW, Australia. shameran@biru.wsahs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Shameran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Slewa-Younan
authors.forename: Alisa M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Baguley
authors.forename: Joe A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gurka
authors.forename: Jeno E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Marosszeky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000209:etiology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome