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At least 1,477 records · Page 82Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Pre-morbid personality and depression following stroke.

BACKGROUND: The role of individual differences, including pre-morbid personality, in the development of post-stroke depression, has received relatively little attention. We undertook a cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between pre-morbid personality and other individual differences, and depression following acute stroke. METHOD: We studied 61 consecutive patients admitted to a dedicated stroke inpatient unit. DSM-IV depressive diagnoses were ascertained using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and depressive symptoms were ascertained on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Informant-rated personality scores were obtained on the full 240-item Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness Personality Inventory--Revised. Adaptive function was measured on the Modified Barthel Index and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. Cognitive function was assessed on the Mini-mental State Examination. RESULTS: An increased risk of post-stroke depression was conferred by both pre-morbid neuroticism [odds ratio (OR) 3.69; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.25-10.92] and a past history of mental disorder (OR 10.26; 95% CI 3.02-34.86). There was no significant relationship demonstrated between lesion location and post-stroke depression. CONCLUSIONS: Informant-rated pre-morbid neuroticism and a past history of mental disorder were important predictors of depression following stroke. Stroke side was not significantly related to risk of depressive symptoms following stroke.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2002

Refinements in the implantation of pulmonary arterial stents: impact on morbidity and mortality of the procedure over the last two decades.

INTRODUCTION: There is limited data on medium to long-term outcome, and the morbidity and mortality associated with the implantation, of pulmonary arterial stents. PURPOSE: To assess changes in morbidity and mortality over the last two decades. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of all patients stented between September, 1989 and July, 2001. RESULTS: We implanted 664 Palmaz stents in 338 patients. The overall number included 229 patients who had undergone repair of tetralogy of Fallot, in whom 468 stents were implanted, 61 patients with congenital stenosis of the branches of the pulmonary trunk, in whom we placed 115 stents, 16 patients after an arterial switch operation who had 38 stents, and 32 patients after the Fontan operation who had 43 stents implanted. The mean age was 12.2 years, and the mean weight was 38 kg. The mean systolic pressure gradient decreased from 41 to 8.7 mmHg, the mean diameter of the stented vessel increased from 5.4 to 11.2 mm, and the ratio of right ventricular to femoral arterial pressure decreased from 0.66 to 0.45, each of these being significant at the level of p being less than 0.01. At a mean follow-up of 5.6 years, the mean gradient was 20 mmHg, the mean ratio of pressure between right ventricle and femoral artery was 0.5, and mean luminal diameter was 9.3 mm. Complications included migration of the stent in 8 patients, and pulmonary edema, hemoptysis and death in 5 patients each. There has been no mortality or morbidity since July of 1997. Technical changes include conservative serial dilations in congenital pulmonary arterial stenosis, avoidance of over-dilation, and simultaneous implantation of stents in the right and left pulmonary arteries in those with systemic pulmonary arterial pressure. Technological advances included shorter stents, improved balloon profiles, and central inflation of the stents. CONCLUSIONS: Modification of stenting practices, and increased experience of the operators over the last two decades, has virtually abolished any morbidity or mortality associated with the implantation of stents for congenital or postoperative pulmonary arterial stenoses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Pre-morbid predictors of psychological adjustment to cancer.

This study examined the potential role of social support, neuroticism, and self-efficacy as predictors of the short-term and long-term adaptation to the diagnosis of cancer. Psychological adjustment was defined in terms of psychological distress. It is argued that these factors may provide insights that might be helpful in the provision of medical care to patients. We hypothesized that they would be especially predictive of long-term psychological adjustment. The study was conducted in a truly prospective design with one pre-morbid assessment and two post-morbid assessments used in the present analyses. Participants of a baseline assessment among 5279 subjects (aged 57 years and older) in 1993 were monitored for cancer incidence by their general practitioners. The study sample included 99 cancer patients who had completed all pre-morbid and post-morbid assessments. Multivariate analyses revealed that high neuroticism was associated with higher levels of distress in the short- and long-term. Higher levels of social support were associated with higher levels of distress in the long-term. The direction of this association was opposite to what might be expected on the basis of the literature. Implications of the findings for health care as well as explanations for the social support findings are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

Morbidity of chronic hepatitis C as seen in a tertiary care medical center.

We studied the morbidity of chronic hepatitis C in patients referred to a tertiary care medical facility. The medical records of 500 consecutive cases of chronic hepatitis C were examined for the following: (1) source and time of exposure, (2) signs and symptoms of liver disease, (3) degree of alcohol intake, (4) liver biopsy findings, (5) extrahepatic disease manifestations, and (6) coexisting illnesses that could have an impact on morbidity. Morbidity and histologic findings were evaluated in relation to the duration of hepatitis C. The onset of infection could be determined in 376 patients (75%). A close relationship between the length of infection and disease features was not observed. Fatigue was common at all stages of infection. Whereas cirrhosis occurred more frequently in patients with disease of long duration, 15-24% of patients had signs of advanced liver disease (ascites, encephalopathy, thrombocytopenia) within six years of exposure. Overt extrahepatic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C occurred infrequently, and depression was reported in 24% of untreated patients. In conclusion, in patients referred to a tertiary care setting, chronic hepatitis C is often associated with significant morbidity.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Radiation related morbidities and their impact on quality of life in head and neck cancer patients receiving radical radiotherapy.

Although 50-70% of head and neck cancer patients in India receive radiotherapy (RT), radiation-related acute and late morbidities and their impact on quality of life (QOL) are infrequently reported. Acute and late radiation morbidities and QOL were assessed in a prospective longitudinal study of 45 patients with head and neck cancers receiving radical RT to a dose of 7000 cGy in conventional fractionation. Grade II acute morbidities experienced by the largest percent of the sample during the course of RT pertained to the mucosa (66.4%), salivary gland (84%), and oesophagus (53%). These morbidities led to an increase in the symptom scores of appetite loss (76.46), fatigue (65.75) and pain (44.77). This increase in the symptom scores consequently led to a significant decline in physical, social and emotional functioning as well as global health status score during the course of RT (p < 0.001). Scores improved after 1 month of RT but did not reach the pre-RT value. Future studies may consider correlating QOL assessment to significant patient and disease related parameters such as performance status, weight loss, stage and site of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Morbidity of chin bone harvesting.

The chin is a very common donor site for autogenous bone grafts. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate long-term morbidity of the donor site following chin bone graft harvesting. One to three years after grafting of local bone defects of the anterior maxilla with chin bone, 21 patients were recalled for objective assessment of any residual morbidity at the harvesting area. Morbidity as well as satisfaction of the patients were evaluated by a survey of the medical record, a mail-in questionnaire, and a standardized physical examination. The outcome of this study showed that there was good acceptance of the chin bone harvesting procedure. The objective morbidity was low, but subjectively almost half of the patients reported a changed (decreased) sensibility in the harvesting area. This subjective change in sensibility did not result in noteworthy complaints or discomfort by the patients, however. Although bone harvesting from the chin is generally considered as a good option for reconstruction of local bony defects, the patients should be informed about the potential hazard of a changed sensibility in the chin region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

An investigation of post-operative morbidity following chin graft surgery.

AIM: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the morbidity at the donor site following harvest of chin bone for intra-oral augmentation. METHOD: The morbidity experienced by 27 consecutive patients who had undergone chin bone harvesting to augment intra-oral sites prior to implant placement at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Dental Hospital of Manchester was evaluated at one week, one, three and 12 months post-operatively. RESULTS: Nine (33%) patients suffered post-operative morbidity. One patient experienced paraesthesia of the chin and lower lip and a further patient, paraesthesia of the gingivae immediately post-operatively. Both patients had full recovery when reviewed at three months. Two patients experienced pain at the graft site for up to three months post-operatively. Five (18.5%) patients experienced woodiness/numbness of the lower anterior teeth at the first post-operative visit and at 12 months, two patients continued to have no sensitivity in the lower anterior incisor teeth. None of the patients reported altered contour or change in profile of the chin area. Twenty-three (85.2%) patients had successful grafts with placement of implants thereafter. CONCLUSION: It is important for GDPs and specialists to make patients aware of the possible morbidities following harvest of bone from the chin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The body mass index is a less-sensitive tool for detecting cases with obesity-associated co-morbidities in short stature subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability of the body mass index (BMI) to detect obesity-associated morbidity in subjects with a normal or short stature. METHODS: Information was obtained on 119 975 subjects from a cardiovascular risk factors detection program. Standardized questionnaires were used. Capillary glucose and cholesterol concentrations were measured. Diabetes, arterial hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were selected as end points. Sensitivity, specificity and the likelihood ratio for several BMI thresholds were calculated. ROC curves were constructed to identify the BMI cutoff points with best diagnostic performance. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to assess the proficiency of BMI. RESULTS: Short stature (height </=150 cm for women or </=160 cm for men) was found in 24 854 subjects (20.7%). These cases had a higher prevalence of type II diabetes and arterial hypertension even after adjusting for confounding variables. In addition, the frequency of the abnormalities was higher even at the lowest BMI values; the prevalence increased in direct proportion with the BMI, but at a lower rate compared to cases with normal stature. The AUC for every co-morbidity was smaller in short stature subjects. The likelihood ratio for detecting co-morbidities increased at the same BMI value in subjects with or without short stature. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of obesity-associated co-morbidities is higher in subjects with short stature compared to those without it. The proficiency of BMI as a diagnostic tool is poor in short stature subjects. This problem is not resolved by decreasing BMI thresholds used to define overweight.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Cardiopulmonary morbidity as a complication of severe preeclampsia HELLP syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To profile the types and frequencies of cardiopulmonary morbidity encountered in patients with severe preeclampsia with or without hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP syndrome). STUDY DESIGN: We initiated a retrospective study of 979 patients with severe preeclampsia with and without HELLP syndrome. Types of cardiopulmonary morbidity were analyzed among the three classes of HELLP syndrome and severe preeclampsia without HELLP syndrome. RESULTS: Cardiopulmonary morbidity occurred in 7.6% of study patients. As a group, patients with cardiopulmonary complications were more likely to have cesareans (11% vs 6%, p = 0.019) earlier in gestation (1366 +/- 700 gm birth weight versus 1734 +/- 892 gm birth weight, p = 0.021), with higher peak postpartum blood pressures (< 0.001) and with more abnormal laboratory values indicative of multisystem disease, compared with patients without this complication. Patients with cardiopulmonary complications required almost twice as long to achieve diuresis as comparison patients (22 +/- 23 hours versus 12 +/- 11 hours, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The probability of cardiopulmonary complications increases significantly when patients develop class 1 HELLP syndrome. Of all cardiopulmonary complications, acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome is most specific to class 1 HELLP syndrome. Transient renal dysfunction is closely related to cardiopulmonary morbidity.

Cesarean Section↗
PubMed2004

Self-reported skin morbidity among adults: associations with quality of life and general health in a Norwegian survey.

Life-quality studies among dermatologic patients have shown that chronic skin diseases have an impact on patients' lives. The purpose of this study was to assess the burden of skin morbidity at a community level. This was presented as prevalence of self-reported skin morbidity and dermatologic life-quality items. The association of skin disease and general health measures like feeling depressed and self-reported general health were measured. The method used was a questionnaire on self-reported skin complaints, including variables such as demographic, psychosocial, general health, dermatologic life-quality items. The design of the study was cross-sectional, with answers from 18,770 adult responders. The results confirmed that skin morbidity is common; itch was the dominating symptom. Younger adults reported more social problems as a result of skin problems than older. The life-quality domain most affected by skin disease was the social one. In a regression model skin disease was as well as rheumatism more strongly associated with feeling depressed than asthma, diabetes, and angina pectoris. Skin disease was also strongly associated with reporting poor general health, although less than other nondermatologic chronic diseases. In conclusion, in this study skin morbidity was strongly associated with general health measures among adults in a population-based setting. To the best of our knowledge these associations have not been described previously at a community level.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Microalbuminuria is common, also in a nondiabetic, nonhypertensive population, and an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular morbidity.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the general population, especially in nondiabetic and nonhypertensive subjects, and its association with known cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular morbidity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Inhabitants of the city of Groningen, the Netherlands. SUBJECTS: All inhabitants, aged between 28 and 75 years, were send a postal questionnaire and a vial to collect an early morning urine sample (n = 85 421). Of these 40 856 subjects (47.8%) responded. Cardiovascular risk factors and morbidity were validated in a well defined nondiabetic and nonhypertensive group of 5241 subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Microalbuminuria, self-reported cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular morbidity in the total study cohort, and additionally more detailed measurements in a subset of the total population. RESULTS: Microalbuminuria (20-200 mg L-1) was present in 7.2% of the subjects and independently associated with age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, previous myocardial infarction and stroke. Some of these associations were already observed at albuminuria levels of 10-20 mg L-1. After exclusion of the diabetic and hypertensive subjects, microalbuminuria was still prevalent in 6.6% of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Microalbuminuria appears to be common not only in the general population but also in a nondiabetic, nonhypertensive population and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors and cardio-vascular morbidity. Importantly, some of these associations are present at urinary albumin levels currently considered to be normal. These findings suggest that urinary albumin measurements may be useful in early risk profiling and prevention of cardiovascular disease in the population at large.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Short-term morbidity and infant mortality among infants who slept supine at 1 month of age--a follow-up report.

Following evidence that prone sleeping is causally related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), intervention campaigns to avoid prone sleeping in many countries have led to a large reduction in SIDS and total infant mortality. The supine position has been recommended for healthy infants in several countries. The objective of this report was to determine how usual sleep position at 1 month relates to morbidity indicators at 1 month and 12 weeks and to SIDS and postneonatal mortality using a prospective population-based live birth cohort in Tasmania, Australia. Eligible infants were the one-fifth of Tasmanian live births at higher risk of SIDS using a perinatal score. From 1 January 1988 to 31 December 1995, 9826 (89% of eligible) infants participated in the home interview. Fifty-three eligible infants died of SIDS, 51 (96%) with hospital interview data and 35 (81% of those eligible for home visit) with home visit data. The main outcome measures were SIDS, postneonatal mortality and parentally reported infant morbidity. The postneonatal mortality rates (cases per 1000 live births) by usual sleep position at 1 month of age were supine 1.60 [95% CI 0.04, 8.87], side 2.87 [1.79, 4.35], prone 10.27 [5.62, 17.18] and other (including no usual position) 6.37 [0.16, 34.98]. None of the study infants who slept supine died of SIDS at a later time. Of 25 morbidity indicators studied, only noisy breathing was increased for supine compared with side-sleeping babies. In this study, there was no evidence to suggest that supine sleeping at 1 month of age was associated with an increase in important short-term morbidity or postneonatal mortality. These findings provide further support for the recent recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics that healthy infants should preferably sleep in the supine position.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Psychiatric morbidity and adherence to antiretroviral medication in patients with HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether psychological morbidity is associated with poor compliance with antiretroviral medication in HIV-positive subjects. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional survey of patients attending a public HIV clinic in Sydney. Volunteers completed a survey which gathered data on substance use, psychological distress, attitudes to illness and medication, and self-reported medication adherence. Psychological morbidity was assessed using the 28 question General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-28, and adherence was assessed using a combination of direct self-report and indirect questions. RESULTS: Forty-four per cent of subjects were identified as suffering psychological disorder on the GHQ. They reported significantly poorer adherence to antiretroviral medication than subjects not identified as 'cases' (odds ratio 4.5). Expressed scepticism about medication and previous use of psychotropics was also associated with poor adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological morbidity is associated with poor adherence to antiretroviral medication. It is not known whether treatment of identified psychological morbidity leads to improved antiretroviral medication adherence and better medical outcome. A longitudinal study could help answer this question.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

Prognostic factors in severe community-acquired pneumonia in patients without co-morbid illness.

OBJECTIVES: We wished to determine the prognostic factors and the impact of initial empirical antibiotic therapy on the outcome of severe community-acquired pneumonia in patients without underlying co-morbid illness. METHODOLOGY: This is a retrospective record review of consecutive patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia who were divided into those with and without underlying co-morbid illness. RESULTS: There were 182 patients including 112 primary (no co-morbid illness) and 70 secondary (underlying co-morbid illness) pneumonias. The overall mortality was 41.8% and there were no differences in APACHE II score or mortality when comparing cases with primary (37.5%) and secondary infections (48.6%). The mortality was significantly higher in patients with negative microbiology. Univariate analysis identified a number of parameters and various antibiotic regimens, which appeared to be associated with a significantly poorer outcome. On multivariate analysis multilobar pulmonary consolidation, need for mechanical ventilation, inotropes and dialysis were documented to be independent predictors of mortality. Only in their absence could different antibiotic regimens be shown to have an apparent impact on outcome and further analysis suggested that the reason for these differences related predominantly to differences in the severity of the infection. CONCLUSIONS: Markers of disease severity appear to be the most important predictors of outcome in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.

APACHE↗
PubMed2000

The development and validation of a quality-of-life measure to assess partner morbidity in benign prostatic enlargement.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate morbidity in the partners of patients with benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) by developing and validating a disease-specific questionnaire. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Phase 1 of the study comprised preliminary interviews with 15 patients who had newly diagnosed BPE, and with their partners, to determine the relevant issues for the partners. In phase 2, using these issues, a questionnaire was produced and tested on the 15 partners. In phase 3 the questionnaire was completed by 90 further partners, 50 at interview and the next 40 by post. As part of the validation process, the partners were also asked to complete the Short-Form-36 questionnaire, and the patients the Internation Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the ICSmale questionnaires. RESULTS: In phase 1 all 15 of the partners were affected by the patients' disease and nine issues were identified. In phase 2, of the 90 partners, only one had no morbidity from the patient's symptoms; 71% were worried that the patient may have cancer and 69% concerned that the patient may require an operation. Only six partners were present at the patients' urological consultation. The partners' questionnaire scores were related significantly to the Mental Health and Vitality domains of the SF36 and with the patients' IPSS. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed the presence of significant morbidity in the partners of patients with BPE. The degree of partner morbidity was related to the severity of the patients' symptoms. Many of the questionnaire issues can be addressed in the consulting room by open discussion with patient and partner.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Psychosocial morbidity in prostate cancer: I. Design of a new questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: To design a questionnaire capable of measuring psychosocial morbidity in patients with prostate cancer and in their partners. METHODS: Issues to be covered in the questionnaire were determined by discussion among professionals, a literature review and semi-structured interviews with a group of seven patients and their partners. The potential issues were analysed and condensed, then re-presented to a further group of professionals, and to 10 patients and partners for comment and amendment. This process aimed to confirm the completeness and relevance of the list of issues. Questions were then constructed around the final list of issues and the questionnaire adjusted continually while testing on patients, until it was completed easily. RESULTS: The questionnaire consisted of 10 items; three items related to the general threat of cancer (concern about the diagnosis itself, fear of the future and difficulty dealing with the emotional response to the disease). Two items covered social and role functioning and there were five items to determine the severity of psychological morbidity caused by pain, urinary symptoms, treatment, physical limitation and sexual dysfunction. The questionnaire appeared to cover those areas of morbidity most consistently raised by patients and partners; it was also rapidly and easily completed by most respondents. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire constructed may be easily applied as part of routine clinical practice; it addresses aspects of psychosocial morbidity related to prostate cancer in patients and their partners. Although it appears to have content validity, further psychometric testing is required.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Vascular access blood flow monitoring reduces access morbidity and costs.

BACKGROUND: Vascular access morbidity results in suboptimal patient outcomes and costs more than $8000 per patient-year at risk, representing approximately 15% of total Medicare expenditures for ESRD patients annually. In recent years, the rate of access thrombosis has improved following the advent of vascular access blood flow monitoring (VABFM) programs to identify and treat stenosis prior to thrombosis. To define further both the clinical and financial impact of such programs, we used the ultrasound dilution method to study the effects of VABFM on thrombosis-related morbid events and associated costs, compared with both dynamic venous pressure monitoring (DVPM) and no monitoring (NM) in arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) and grafts. METHODS: A total of 132 chronic hemodialysis patients were followed prospectively for three consecutive study phases (I, 11 months of NM; II, 12 months of DVPM; III, 10 months of VABFM). All vascular access-related information (thrombosis rate, hospitalization, angiogram, angioplasty, access surgery, thrombectomy, catheter placement, missed treatments) was collected during the three study periods. RESULTS: During the three study phases, graft thrombosis rate was reduced from 0.71 (phase I), to 0.67 (phase II), to 0.16 (phase III) events per patient-year at risk (P < 0.001 phase III vs. phases I and II). Similarly, hospital days, missed treatments, and catheter use related to thrombotic events were significantly reduced during phase III compared to phases I and II. Hospital days related to vascular access morbidity and adjusted for patient-year at risk were 1.8, 1.6, and 0.4 and missed dialysis treatments were 0.98, 0.86, and 0.26 treatments per patient-year at risk for phases I, II, and III, respectively (P < 0.001 for phase III vs. phases I and II). Catheter use was also significantly reduced during phases II and III, from 0.29 (phase I) to 0.17 and further to 0.07 catheters per patient-year at risk, respectively (P < 0.05 for phase III vs. phase I). Percutaneous angioplasty procedures increased during phases II and III from 0.09 to 0.32 to 0.54 procedures per patient-year at risk for phases I, II, and III, respectively (P < 0.01 for phase III vs. phase I). When the total cost of treatment for thrombosis-related events for grafts was estimated, it was found that during phase III, the adjusted yearly billed amount was reduced by 49% versus phase I and 54% versus phase II to $158,550. Similar trends in reduced thrombosis-related morbid events and cost were observed for AVFs. CONCLUSIONS: VABFM for early detection of vascular access malfunction coupled with preventive intervention reduces thrombosis rates in both polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts and native AVFs. While there was a significant increase in the number of angioplasties done during the flow monitoring phase, the comprehensive cost is markedly reduced due to the decreased number of hospitalizations, catheters placed, missed treatments, and surgical interventions. Vascular access blood flow monitoring along with preventive interventions should be the standard of care in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMed2003

Alcohol intoxication increases morbidity in drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents.

We prospectively examined the correlation of alcohol intoxication with injury severity, morbidity, and mortality in drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents in a prospective cohort study. The study enrolled 923 injured patients, of whom 421 were legally intoxicated (blood alcohol concentration [BAC] > or = 50 mg/dL) and 502 were not intoxicated (BAC < 50 mg/dL). The intoxicated drivers had a significantly higher injury severity score (ISS), lower Glasgow Coma Score, lower systolic blood pressure; higher rate in old age, male sex, greater rate of habitual drinking, greater lack of use of safety gear, and greater accident-related morbidity. After logistic regression analysis, alcohol intoxication was not associated with severe injury (ISS > or = 9); however, alcohol intoxication analyzed either as a preinjury or postinjury risk factor, was one of the predictors for morbidity. Severe head injury was the only predictor of mortality. In conclusion, although alcohol intoxication is not associated with an increased incidence of severe injury or mortality in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes, it is one of the significant predictors for morbidity after injury.

Accidents, Traffic↗