%0 Journal Article
%T Prevalence rate, predictors and long-term course of probable posttraumatic stress disorder after major trauma: a prospective cohort study
%A Juanita A Haagsma
%A Akkie N Ringburg
%A Esther MM van Lieshout
%A Ed F van Beeck
%A Peter Patka
%A Inger B Schipper
%A Suzanne Polinder
%J BMC Psychiatry
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-244x-12-236
%X A prospective cohort study was conducted of 332 major trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 16 or higher. We used data from the hospital trauma registry and self-assessment surveys that included the Impact of Event Scale (IES) to measure probable PTSD symptoms. An IES-score of 35 or higher was used as indication for the presence of probable PTSD.One year after injury measurements of 226 major trauma patients were obtained (response rate 68%). Of these patients 23% had an IES-score of 35 or higher, indicating probable PTSD. At two years after trauma the prevalence rate of probable PTSD was 20%. Female gender and co-morbid disease were strong predictors of probable PTSD one year following injury, whereas minor to moderate head injury and injury of the extremities (AIS less than 3) were strong predictors of this disorder at two year follow-up. Of the patients with probable PTSD at one year follow-up 79% had persistent PTSD symptoms a year later.Up to two years after injury probable PTSD is highly prevalent in a population of patients with major trauma. The majority of patients suffered from prolonged effects of PTSD, underlining the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment of injury-related PTSD.Major trauma, which can be defined as an injury with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 16 or higher, has a large impact, not in the least because of the relatively young age of the average severely injured patient [1]. A large proportion of the severely injured patients report significantly reduced health-related quality of life with functional limitations years after trauma [2-4]. In rehabilitation, the main focus lies in the treatment of physical injuries. Nonetheless, over the past decades the importance of psychological morbidity continued to gain attention, specifically concerning posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).PTSD may result from any event that involves an injury, or threatened or actual death (of others). PTSD symptoms are characte
%K Major trauma
%K Posttraumatic stress disorder
%K Follow-up study
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/12/236