Life After Traumatic Brain Injury: Effects on the Lifestyle and Quality of Life of Community-Dwelling Patients

Persons who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) may encounter a range of changes in their physical, mental, and cognitive functions as well as high fatigue levels. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by persons after TBI, we conducted multi-domain assessments among community-dwelling persons with a history of TBI and compared them with age- and sex-matched controls from the Northeastern Taiwan Community Medicine Research Cohort between 2019 and 2021. A total of 168 persons with TBI and 672 non-TBI controls were not different in terms of demographics, comorbidities, and physiological features. However, compared with the non-TBI group, the TBI group had a distinct lifestyle that involved increased reliance on analgesics (6.9% vs. 15.0%, respectively; p  = 0.001) and sleep aids ( p  = 0.008), which negatively affected their quality of life. Moreover, they consumed more coffee ( p  < 0.001), tea ( p  < 0.001), cigarettes ( p  = 0.002), and betel nuts ( p  = 0.032) than did the non-TBI group. Notably, the use of coffee had a positive effect on the quality of life of the TBI group ( F  = 4.034; p  = 0.045). Further, compared with the non-TBI group, the TBI group had increased risks of sarcopenia ( p  = 0.003), malnutrition ( p  = 0.003), and anxiety ( p  = 0.029) and reduced blood levels of vitamin D (29.83 ± 10.39 vs. 24.20 ± 6.59 ng/mL, respectively; p  < 0.001). Overall, the TBI group had a reduced health-related quality of life, with significant challenges related to physical health, mental well-being, social interactions, pain management, and fatigue levels. Moreover, the TBI group experienced poorer sleep quality and efficiency than did the non-TBI group. In conclusion, persons who have sustained brain injuries that require comprehensive and holistic care that includes lifestyle modification, mental and physical healthcare plans, and increased long-term support from their communities. ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04839796).