Age and outcome after severe head injury

Abstract

The authors analyzed the relationship between patient age and the final outcome in a series of 810 patients aged 14 years or older who were consecutively admitted between 1987 and 1996 after suffering a severe closed head injury. The most relevant clinico-radiological variables were prospectively collected in a Data Bank. Stratified and logistic regression analyses were performed in order to assess the influence of age on adverse outcome and the interaction between patient age and other prognostic indicators. Our results reaffirm that the adverse outcome rate increases steadily with age in severe head injured patients and that age effect on outcome is independent of other prognostic variables. The odds of having an adverse outcome increases significantly over 35 years of age being 10 times higher in patients older than 65 years as compared to those aged 15-25 years (reference age group). The adverse influence of an advanced age on the final outcome has not yet been satisfactorily explained but an older brain may have an impaired ability to recover after a pathological insult as compared to a younger one.