Geriatric Traumatic Brain Injury in China

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in China. The elderly population has the higher rates of TBI-related hospitalization and death. Traffic accidents are the major cause for TBI in all age groups except in the group of 75 years and older, in which stumbles occurred in nearly half of those who suffered TBI. Older age is known to negatively influence outcome after TBI. To date, investigators have identified a panel of prognostic factors that include initial Glasgow Coma Scale score, comorbidities, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, associated extracranial lesions, and other factors such as cerebral perfusion pressure on recovery after injury. However, these aspects remain understudied in elderly patients with TBI. In the absence of complete clinical data, predicting outcomes and providing good care of the elderly population with TBI remain limited. To address this significant public health issue, a refocusing of research efforts is justified to prevent TBI in this population and to develop unique care strategies for achieving better clinical outcomes of the patients with TBI.