Prevalence, injury-, and non-injury-related predictors of anxiety and depression in polytrauma patients – A 20 year follow-up study

NOTICE: The original data files published with this dataset have been
removed due to non-compliance with Dryad guidelines for publishing human
subjects data. Introduction Survival rate after polytrauma increased over
the past decades resulting in an increase of long-term complications.
These include physical and psychiatric impairments. The aim of this study
was to describe the prevalence and risk factors for developing depression
and anxiety more than twenty years after polytrauma. Methods We contacted
patients who were treated due to a polytrauma between 1973 and 1990 at one
level 1 trauma centre after more than 20 years. These patients received a
self-administered questionnaire, to assess symptoms of depression and
anxiety. Prediction based on multivariate logistic regression models
include injury related and non-injury related factors to determine risk
factors for the development of depression and anxiety. Results Patients
included in this study (n=337) had a mean ISS of 20.3 (4 to 50) points. In
total, 173 (51.3%) showed psychiatric complications (depression n=163,
48.2%; anxiety n=14, 4.1%). The maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS)
for head was predictive for depression (OR 1.5 95%CI 1.1 to 5.4, p =
0.0445) as was the MAIS for spine (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.2 to 5.9). MAIS spine
was also predictive for the development of anxiety (OR 1.4, 95%CI 1.1 to
5.4, p = 0.0456). Non-injury related risk factors for depression include
additional insults (OR 6.8, 95%CI 5.3 to 11.7, p = 0.0146); risk factors
for the development of anxiety include need for psychiatric treatment
after injury (OR 2.6, 95%CI 2.2 to 11.8, p < 0.001). Conclusion
More than half of polytrauma patients developed psychiatric complications.
Risk factors include injuries to the central nervous system, additional
psychiatric insults, and the need of psychiatric treatment.