TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2003//
TI  - Traumatic brain injury in U.S. Army paratroopers: prevalence and character
JO  - Journal of trauma
A1  - Salazar, Andres M.
A1  - Johnson, Candace S.
A1  - Powell, C. O. L. John
A1  - Hoilien, M. A. J. Michael
A1  - Harvey, L. T. C. Sally
A1  - Warden, D.
A1  - Schwab, K. A.
A1  - Ivins, Brian J.
SP  - 617
EP  - 621
VL  - 55
IS  - 4
N2  - BACKGROUND: This study presents self-reported traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevalence rates for 2,337 active duty U.S. Army soldiers who underwent baseline testing as part of a larger study of military TBI. METHODS: A computerized self-report questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 2,337 highly functioning active-duty soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who underwent baseline testing during a 13-month period in 1999 and 2000 as part of a larger ongoing Institutional Review Board-approved study examining the consequences of brain injuries among paratroopers. RESULTS: Approximately 23% of all of the soldiers surveyed reported sustaining a TBI after joining the Army. More than twice as many paratroopers reported sustaining TBI after joining the Army than did nonparatroopers (p < 0.001). Parachute-related TBI accounted for this difference. Nearly all of these injuries were mild. Less than 2% of paratroopers and no nonparatroopers reported loss of consciousness lasting more than 20 minutes. It was also shown that paratroopers with a history of TBI before joining the Army had a higher prevalence of TBI while serving in the Army (35%) than paratroopers without prior TBI (27.2%) (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that parachuting appears to be a risk factor for mild TBI in the U.S. Army and that paratroopers with a history of TBI before joining the Army might be at somewhat increased risk of sustaining additional TBI while serving in the Army.
LA  - 
SN  - 0022-5282
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.TA.0000052368.97573.D4
ID  - ref1
ER  -