Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among UK military personnel whilst deployed in Afghanistan in 2011.
BACKGROUND
mTBI has been termed the 'signature injury' of recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most mTBI research uses retrospective accounts of exposure and point of injury symptoms; mTBI is reportedly less common among UK than US Forces.


METHODS
This study examined the rate of mTBI exposure and symptoms in 1363 UK military personnel deployed in Afghanistan in 2011 using a self-report questionnaire. Data were collected in the operational location during the 5th month of a 6-month deployment. Personnel reported injuries and symptoms related to six events including fragmentation, blast, bullet, fall, motor vehicle accident and 'other' exposure.


RESULTS
Eighty (5.9%) reported at least one potential mTBI exposure during the current deployment and 1.6% (n = 22) reported injury and one or more mTBI symptoms (1 year incidence rate = 3.2%). Higher PTSD symptom scores were significantly associated with reporting potential mTBI (p ≤ 0.001) and mTBI with symptoms (p ≤ 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
This study used contemporaneous data gathered in the deployed location which are subject to less memory distortion than studies using post-deployment recall. The incidence of mTBI was substantially lower than those reported in both US and UK post-deployment studies which is consistent with inflated reporting of symptoms when measured post-deployment.
King's Centre for Military Health and Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Weston Education Centre , London , UK.
Norman
N
Jones
Nicola T
NT
Fear
Roberto
R
Rona
Mohammed
M
Fertout
Gursimran
G
Thandi
Simon
S
Wessely
Neil
N
Greenberg
D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
Concussion; cultural; evaluation; head injury; mild brain injury; neuropsychiatric