High rates of head injury among homeless and low-income housed men: a retrospective cohort study

Objective To examine the predictors and temporal patterns of head injury (HI) presentation in the emergency department among cohorts of homeless and low-income housed men. Methods Retrospective review and logistic regression of HIs found in emergency department records for three groups of men, those: (1) who were chronically homeless with drinking problems (CHDP) (n=50), (2) in the general homeless population (GH) (n=60) and (3) in low-income housing (LIH) (n=59). Results The proportion of individuals with non-minimal HIs documented in the previous year were 28%, 3% and 5% with annual rates of 0.47, 0.017 and 0.037 among the CHDP, GH and LIH groups (p Conclusions Having an HI is better predicted by previous head injuries, drug dependence or a seizure disorder than a history of homelessness or alcohol dependence. HIs may become more frequent with time.