Long-term Physical and Mental Health Outcomes of Older Adults Following a Major Burn Injury: A Burn Model System Investigation

Older adults are at a higher risk of complications after burn injuries since many physical and mental changes are compounded by increasing age. Few studies have targeted the long-term effects of burns on older adults. Therefore, this study will investigate the long-term physical and mental health outcomes in older adults. About 3129 participants from the Burn Model System Database were divided into 3 cohorts based on their age at injury (18-54, 55-64, and 65+). Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores were derived from the 12-item Short Form (SF-12) and the Veterans RAND 12-item (VR-12) health surveys and analyzed to measure recovery at preinjury, discharge, 2-year follow-up, and 5-year follow-up. ANOVA, T-score analysis, and linear mixed-effects models were utilized to assess for significant differences in outcome scores. PCS scores were significantly different between the 18-54 cohort and 65+ cohorts at the preinjury and 2-year time intervals (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively) but not at the 5-year follow-up (P = .28). MCS scores were significantly different between the 18-54 cohort and 65+ cohorts at all time intervals measured (P = .001, P < .001, P < .001, and P = .005, respectively), though the change in MCS scores over time was not significantly different between age cohorts across time (P = .088). This supports that patients 65 years and older have a different physical function recovery trajectory when compared to patients under 64 years. These findings underscore the belief that for physical recovery after a burn injury, individualized physical rehabilitation plans will provide the most benefit for patients across all ages.