Sex differences in outcomes of adult patients with traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) will become one of the major causes of death in year 2020. Medical management that is based on guidelines is not the only factor that decreases secondary brain injury. Sex difference has an effect on outcomes of TBI patients. The aim of this study was primarily to explore the effect of sex differences on admission in adult TBI patients. Mortality and length of stay were also investigated. This was a retrospective cohort study that investigated sex difference in mild, moderate, and severe TBI patients at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) between 2012 and 2014. Sample size was 344, more males (68.9percent) than females (31.1percent). There was no significant difference in admission, mortality from arrival to Emergency Department (ED) through hospital discharge, and hospital length of stay (LOS) in days between males and females. Females who were in the subgroup of moderate to severe TBI and 50 years old had significantly increased hospital LOS duration compared to males in the same subgroup [(39.2 33.9 versus 11.54 13.7) (p=0.02)]. Males in the subgroup of mild TBI 50 years old had longer hospital LOS in comparison to females in the same subgroup [(7.8 13.1 versus 2 2.8) (p0.001)]. Admission and mortality were not significantly different between males and females in any age and severity subgroups. In general, long-term outcomes such as, cognitive and functional performance, could be more specific in determining the effect of sex difference on TBI outcomes.