THURSDAY, Feb. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with elevated transition probabilities to work disability, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in Neurology.
Andrea Klang, M.D., from Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues conducted a nationwide matched cohort study in Sweden involving individuals aged 21 to 60 years with a TBI diagnosis between 2005 and 2016 matched with up to 10 non-TBI individuals. TBI severity was proxied by care characteristics: specialized health care visit or hospital stay of two days or less (TBI A), hospital stay of three days or more (TBI B), and neurosurgery (TBI C).
A total of 98,256 individuals with TBI and 981,191 matched non-TBI individuals were included in the cohort. The researchers found that all TBI groups had higher transition probabilities to work disability: 5.5, 29, and 43 percent for TBI A, B, and C, respectively, versus 0.5 percent for non-TBI at 30 days; 7.1, 10.9, and 12.9 versus 4.0 percent, respectively, at five years. Higher probability was predicted by older age (hazard ratios [HR], 1.23 and 1.34 for TBI A and B, respectively), female sex (HR, 1.59 and 1.35, respectively), and psychiatric disorders (HR, 1.34 and 1.28, respectively); protective predictors were higher education (HR, 0.83 for TBI A) and city residence (hazard ratios, 0.92 and 0.88 for TBI A and B, respectively). Only older age remained significant in TBI C (HR, 1.59).
"While most traumatic brain injuries are mild, recovery can still be incomplete. For severe brain injuries, there can be lasting symptoms. Our study found no matter the severity, traumatic brain injury was associated with a higher likelihood of a person qualifying for work disability," Klang said in a statement.