Objectives: To examine age-related differences in functional outcomes following traumatic brain injury. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: Seventy-six patients admitted to a pediatric acute rehabilitation hospital were compared with 2548 adult patients in the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-funded traumatic brain injury model systems national database.
Main outcome measures: Functional Independence Measure totals during inpatient rehabilitation.
Results: Increasing age was significantly associated with improved outcome in children and with poorer outcome in adults.
Conclusion: The relationship between age and functional outcome is different within different age groups (pediatric vs adult), and the effect of moderating variables differs by age group.