@article{ref1,
title="Assessing for mild TBI among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans: outcomes of injury severity and neurological factors",
journal="Brain injury",
year="2016",
author="Lau, Karen M. and Madden, Erin and Neylan, Thomas C. and Seal, Karen H. and Maguen, Shira",
volume="30",
number="3",
pages="287-294",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To investigate injury severity markers and neurological symptoms associated with clinician-confirmed mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. SETTING: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centre and five affiliated community-based outpatient clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred and fifty Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with positive initial VA TBI screens between 1 April 2007 and 1 June 2010 and clinician-confirmed TBI status by 1 December 2010. <br><br>METHODS: Retrospective-cohort study of medical record data. Main measures included clinician-confirmed TBI status, injury severity markers (e.g. loss of consciousness (LOC), post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) or confusion/disorientation) and neurological symptoms. <br><br>RESULTS: Among veterans who screened positive on the initial VA TBI and then received a clinician evaluation, 60% were confirmed to have a TBI diagnosis. Veterans reporting at least one LOC, confusion or PTA were almost 18-times more likely to receive a confirmed TBI diagnosis. Odds of clinician-confirmed TBI were 2.5-3-times greater among those who endorsed dizziness, poor coordination, headaches, nausea, vision problems and/or irritability, compared to those not endorsing these symptoms. Nausea had greatest utility for confirming a TBI. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Identification of neurologic symptoms that most contribute to a clinician-confirmed diagnosis of TBI has potential for streamlining detection of TBI and symptoms needed for treatment.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0269-9052",
doi="10.3109/02699052.2015.1089601",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02699052.2015.1089601"
}