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Deployment History Has Differential Impact on Epilepsy in Veterans With TBI

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 30, 2023.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Nov. 30, 2023 -- For veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), deployment history has a significant differential impact on epilepsy predictors, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in Neurology.

Amy K. Henion, M.P.H., from the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System in Utah, and colleagues examined the associations of all TBI exposures and epilepsy among veterans by deployment status in a cohort of 938,890 post-9/11 Veterans (70.64 percent with a history of deployment), 2.92 percent of whom had epilepsy.

The researchers found that epilepsy was more common among nondeployed versus deployed veterans (3.85 versus 2.54 percent). Compared with nondeployed veterans, deployed veterans were more likely to have had TBI (33.94 versus 4.24 percent), but nondeployed veterans with moderate/severe TBI had higher odds of epilepsy than deployed veterans (adjusted odds ratio, 2.92 versus 2.01). Among the deployed, penetrating TBI was associated with higher odds of epilepsy (adjusted odds ratio, 5.33), while the odds of epilepsy for mild TBI did not differ with deployment status. Most neurological conditions were more prevalent among nondeployed veterans, but they were linked to higher odds of epilepsy in the deployed.

"We found that epilepsy was more common among those with moderate TBI who had never been deployed," coauthor Mary Jo V. Pugh, Ph.D., R.N., also from the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, said in a statement. "This may be explained by the 'healthy warrior effect,' where good health is required for deployment."

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and other industries.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted November 2023

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