title: Causes of death following 1 year postinjury among individuals with traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate causes of death in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Utilized data from the TBI Model Systems National Database, the Social Security Death Index, death certificates, and the US population age-race-gender-cause-specific mortality rates for 1994.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two thousand one hundred forty individuals with TBI completing inpatient rehabilitation in 1 of 15 National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-funded TBI Model Systems of Care between 1988 and 2001, and surviving past 1 year postinjury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary cause of death based on the International Classification of Diseases--9th Revision--Clinical Modification-coded death certificates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with TBI were about 37 times more likely to die of seizures, 12 times more likely to die of septicemia, 4 times more likely to die of pneumonia, and about 3 times more likely to die of other respiratory conditions (excluding pneumonia), digestive conditions, and all external causes of injury/poisoning than were individuals in the general population of similar age, gender, and race.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term follow-up of individuals with TBI should increase vigilance for, and prevention of, diagnoses frequently causing death (circulatory disorders) and diagnoses with a high relative risk of causing death in this population (seizures, septicemia, respiratory and digestive conditions, and external causes of injury).
authors.affiliation: Research Department, Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado 80113, USA. charrison-felix@craighospital.org
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harrison-Felix
authors.forename: Gale
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Whiteneck
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Devivo
authors.forename: Flora M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Amitabh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D013405:Suicide; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology