The influence of COVID-19 on clinical characteristics and prognosis of traumatic brain injury after rehabilitation treatment: An epidemiological comparative study

The impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on health and epidemiological patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in China remains poorly understood. This retrospective study aimed to examine the influence of COVID-19 on the epidemiological characteristics, prognosis, and rehabilitation outcomes of TBI patients. Medical records from three hospitals in Wuhan, China, were analyzed between January 2018 and December 2023 to examine TBI patients based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition. A total of 306 TBI patients were included in this study, divided into two groups: 186 patients without COVID-19 (Group 1) and 120 patients with COVID-19 (Group 2). The mean age was 39.47 ± 18 years in Group 1 and 40.95 ± 16.6 years in Group 2. Most patients were male. Road traffic accidents represent the leading cause of TBI in both groups, although it is more prevalent in Group 1 (73.7%) than in Group 2 (55.8%). There were no significant differences in injury severity or initial Glasgow Coma Scale scores between the groups. However, Group 2 showed significantly poorer recovery outcomes, as indicated by lower Functional Independence Measure and Barthel Index scores at discharge. In addition, post-surgical infection rates were higher in Group 2 (18.42%) compared to Group 1 (4.25%). This study highlights the need for further evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 on TBI epidemiology and recovery outcomes to guide improvements in health-care practices.