Brain damage can lead to recurring sick leave

Traumatic brain injuries are caused by violence to the head and can occur, for example, in falls or traffic accidents. In the current study, researchers investigated the link between traumatic brain injuries and sick leave (sick leave and sickness or activity compensation).

"The results indicate that people who suffer traumatic brain injuries often experience long-term difficulties. Even minor injuries can affect the ability to work in the long term. People who have difficulty returning to work after traumatic brain injury may need long-term, multidisciplinary care, where medical, psychological, social, and work-related factors are assessed together," says Elham Rostami, researcher, specialist in neurosurgery, and principal investigator.

Based on data from 100,000 people living in Sweden

The study included nearly 100,000 people with traumatic brain injury and almost one million people without brain injury. The follow-up period was up to five years.

The researchers categorized the severity of the brain injury into three groups based on the type of hospital stay required.

• The person sought emergency care and/or was admitted for observation for 1-2 days
• The injury required more than two days in the hospital
• The injury required neurosurgical intervention
  
• Hade större sjukfrånvaro

Had greater sick leave

All three groups had a higher risk of sick leave compared to people without brain damage. During the five-year period, 45-72 percent of people with traumatic brain injury had at least one period of sick leave.

In the group without brain damage, the corresponding proportion was 26 percent.

In cases of more severe brain injuries, the risk of sick leave was high early after the injury, while in cases of mild injuries, it increased more gradually during the follow-up period.

"We could see that even people with mild brain injuries had an increased risk of sick leave and that it did not necessarily occur immediately after the injury, but could also occur later. This may be because people return to work, but then encounter challenges that make them realize that they may not be functioning as well as before," says Andrea Klang, PhD student, specialist in rehabilitation medicine, and lead author of the study.

Older people had higher sick leave

In all groups, older people had an increased risk of sick leave. In all groups except those with the most severe brain injuries, people who already had mental health problems or previous periods of sick leave before the injury were more likely to have sick leave afterwards.

“Our study shows that healthcare needs to be more attentive to identifying patients who are not fully recovering and investigating what support they need, as well as the fact that they may need support for a longer period of time – not just immediately after the injury,” says Andrea Klang.