Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mortality Risk Among US Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury

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.