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Racial/Ethnic disparities in mortality risk among US veterans with traumatic brain injury. Am J Public Health 2012 May;102 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S266-71

Date

08/20/2011

Pubmed ID

21852658

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3477915

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2011.300176

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84861754118 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   32 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association of race/ethnicity with mortality risk in a national cohort of US veterans clinically diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.

METHODS: Between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006, we obtained data from a national cohort study of 7885 non-Hispanic White, 1748 Non-Hispanic Black, 314 Hispanic, and 4743 other or missing race/ethnicity veterans clinically diagnosed with traumatic brain injury in Veterans Affairs medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics.

RESULTS: Overall mortality at 48 months was 6.7% in Hispanic, 2.9% in non-Hispanic White, and 2.7% in non-Hispanic Black veterans. Compared with non-Hispanic White, Hispanic ethnicity was positively associated with a higher mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49, 3.64) in the race/ethnicity-only adjusted model. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities, Hispanic ethnicity continued to be positively associated (HR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.00, 2.58) with a higher mortality risk relative to non-Hispanic White ethnicity.

CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic ethnicity is positively associated with higher mortality risk among veterans clinically diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. More research is needed to understand the reasons for this disparity.

Author List

Egede LE, Dismuke C, Echols C

Author

Leonard E. Egede MD Center Director, Chief, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Brain Injuries
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Military Personnel
Prevalence
United States
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans
Young Adult