Objective: To investigate the relationships among intoxication at time of injury, preinjury history of problem drinking, and early functional status in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Acute inpatient TBI rehabilitation.
Participants: Participants were 1748 persons with TBI.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main outcome measures: Blood alcohol levels (BALs) were obtained at admission to the emergency department, and a history of problem drinking was obtained through interview. Study outcomes, Disability Rating Scale (DRS), and FIM instrument scores were gathered at admission to inpatient rehabilitation.
Results: Multivariate regression analysis revealed that BAL and a history of binge drinking were predictive of DRS, but not FIM, scores. A higher BAL was associated with poorer functional status on the DRS. Paradoxically, a history of binge drinking was associated with more intact functional status on the DRS.
Conclusions: The relationships among intoxication at time of injury, history of problem drinking, and early outcome after TBI were modest. Injury severity had a more significant association with TBI functional status.