@article{ref1,
title="Prevalence of fatigue and cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury",
journal="PLoS one",
year="2024",
author="Wright, Traver J. and Elliott, Timothy R. and Randolph, Kathleen M. and Pyles, Richard B. and Masel, Brent E. and Urban, Randall J. and Sheffield-Moore, Melinda",
volume="19",
number="3",
pages="e0300910-e0300910",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Following traumatic brain injury (TBI) some patients develop lingering comorbid symptoms of fatigue and cognitive impairment. The mild cognitive impairment self-reported by patients is often not detected with neurocognitive tests making it difficult to determine how common and severe these symptoms are in individuals with a history of TBI. This study was conducted to determine the relative prevalence of fatigue and cognitive impairment in individuals with a history of TBI. <br><br>METHODS: The Fatigue and Altered Cognition Scale (FACs) digital questionnaire was used to assess self-reported fatigue and cognitive impairment. Adults aged 18-70 were digitally recruited for the online anonymous study. Eligible participants provided online consent, demographic data, information about lifetime TBI history, and completed the 20 item FACs questionnaire. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 519 qualifying participants completed the online digital study which included 204 participants with a history of TBI of varied cause and severity and 315 with no history of TBI. FACs Total Score was significantly higher in the TBI group (57.7 ± 22.2) compared to non-TBI (39.5 ± 23.9; p<0.0001) indicating more fatigue and cognitive impairment. When stratified by TBI severity, FACs score was significantly higher for all severity including mild (53.9 ± 21.9, p<0.0001), moderate (54.8 ± 24.4, p<0.0001), and severe (59.7 ± 20.9, p<0.0001) TBI. Correlation analysis indicated that more severe TBI was associated with greater symptom severity (p<0.0001, r = 0.3165). Ancillary analysis also suggested that FACs scores may be elevated in participants with prior COVID-19 infection but no history of TBI. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Adults with a history of even mild TBI report significantly greater fatigue and cognitive impairment than those with no history of TBI, and symptoms are more profound with greater TBI severity.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1932-6203",
doi="10.1371/journal.pone.0300910",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300910"
}