A decade of geriatric traumatic brain injuries in Finland: population-based trends

: Jussi P. Posti, Jussi O.T. Sipilä, Teemu M. Luoto, Päivi Rautava, Ville Kytö

Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

: 2020

: Age and Ageing

: AGE AND AGEING

: AGE AGEING

: 49

: 5

: 779

: 785

: 7

: 0002-0729

: 1468-2834

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa037(external)

: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/49/5/779/5770854(external)

Background: we investigated trends of traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related hospitalisations, deaths, acute neurosurgical operations (ANO), and lengths of hospital stay (LOS) in patients aged >= 70 years in Finland using a population-based cohort.Methods: nationwide databases were searched for all admissions with a TBI diagnosis as well as later deaths for persons >= 70 years of age during 2004-2014.Results: the study period included 20,259 TBI-related hospitalisations (mean age = 80.7 years, men = 48.9%). The incidence of TBI-related hospitalisations was 283/100,000 person-years with an estimated overall annual increase of 2.9% (95% CI: 0.4-5.9%). There was an annual decrease of 2.2% in in-hospital mortality (IHM) in men (95% CI: 0.1-4.3%), with no change in women or overall. There was an annual decrease of 1.1% in odds for ANOs among hospitalised overall (95% CI: 0.1-2.1%) and of 1.4% in men (95% CI: 0.0-2.7%), while no change was observed in women. LOS decreased annually by 2.5% (95% CI: 2.1-2.9%). The incidence of TBI-related deaths was 70/100,000 person-years with an estimated annual increase of 1.6% in women (95% CI: 0.2-2.9%), but no change in men or overall. Mean ages of TBI-related admissions and deaths increased (P<0.001).Interpretation: the incidence rate of geriatric TBI-related hospitalisations increased, especially in women, but LOS and the rate of ANOs among hospitalised decreased. The overall TBI-related mortality remained stable, and IHM decreased in men, while in women, the overall mortality increased and IHM remained stable. However, the overall incidence rates of TBI-related hospitalisations and deaths and the number of cases of IHM were still higher in men.