Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury in Sexual and Gender Minority People: A Matched Single-Trauma Center Study.
Sexual and gender minority patients had over 3-fold higher odds of repetitive traumatic brain injury
Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury in Sexual and Gender Minority People: A Matched Single-Trauma Center Study.
Sexual and gender minority (sexual and gender minority) individuals are at increased risk of adverse neurological health outcomes.
Our study aimed to describe the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury in sexual and gender minority people and to compare traumatic brain injury risk factors and outcomes, including the incidence of repetitive traumatic brain injury, with those of non-sexual and gender minority people with traumatic brain injury.
We conducted a retrospective chart review of adults presenting with traumatic brain injury to a level I trauma center between 2019 and 2024.
sexual and gender minority patients had substantially higher odds of repeat traumatic brain injury
Despite this, risk factors and outcomes of sexual and gender minority populations after traumatic brain injury (traumatic brain injury) remain poorly characterized.
Among 509 patients (sexual and gender minority: n = 238, non-sexual and gender minority: n = 271), sexual and gender minority patients were more likely to have a history of psychiatric illness ( p < 0.0001) and previous traumatic brain injury (i.e., prior to the index traumatic brain injury of inclusion, p = 0.006).
Our findings of a higher prevalence of comorbid psychiatric illness, prior traumatic brain injury, distinct traumatic brain injury mechanisms, and higher repetitive traumatic brain injury incidence among sexual and gender minority patients underscore a distinct injury profile and the critical need to identify the reasons for these differences to improve outcomes.