Ambulances for South Korean nationals evacuated from Wuhan arrive at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul, on Jan. 31, 2020 (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Individuals with traumatic brain injuries, including victims of the Itaewon crowd crush, are more likely to contract depression than others, a study indicated Wednesday.
A joint research team from Seoul National University Hospital and the National Traffic Accident Rehabilitation Hospital analyzed the big data of 2.28 million patients with external injuries registered with the National Health Insurance Service between 2010 and 2017, which showed that individuals who sustain a brain injury are 19 percent more likely to contract depression after medical treatment than others.
Sorted by gender, men were 22 percent more likely to contract depression following a brain injury, compared to 16 percent for women.
Sorted by age, patients in their 20s and 30s were 28 percent more likely to contract depression, compared to 22 percent for those in their 40s and 50s and 7 percent for those in their 60s and older.
Patients with mild concussions were 21 percent more likely to contract depression. Patients with severe brain injuries or skull fractures were 45 percent and 63 percent more likely, respectively.
The risk of depression within the first 12 months of a brain injury was 11 times higher than for those without any brain injury.
“It is important to note that, even among patients with brain injuries, the socially active, younger age groups are more likely to contract depression,” said Lee Ja-ho, a rehabilitation sciences professor at the National Traffic Accident Rehabilitation Hospital.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
