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BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to compare the prevalence of self-reported cardiovascular conditions among individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) to a propensity-matched control cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study described self-reported cardiovascular conditions (hypertension, congestive heart failure [CHF], myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke) from participants who completed interviews between January 2015 and March 2020 in 2 harmonized large cohort studies, the TBI Model Systems and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mixed-effect logistic regression models were used to compare the prevalence of cardiovascular conditions after 1:1 propensity-score matching based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, body mass index, education level, and smoking status. The final sample was 4690 matched pairs. Individuals with TBI were more likely to report hypertension (odds ratio [OR], 1.18 [95% CI, 1.08-1.28]) and stroke (OR, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.56-1.98]) but less likely to report CHF (OR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.67-0.99]) or MI (OR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.55-0.79]). There was no difference in rate of CHF or MI for those ≤50 years old; however, rates of CHF and MI were lower in the TBI group for individuals >50 years old. Over 65% of individuals who died before the first follow-up interview at 1 year post-TBI were >50 years old, and those >50 years old were more likely to die of heart disease than those ≤50 years old (17.6% versus 8.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with moderate to severe TBI had an increased rate of self-reported hypertension and stroke but lower rate of MI and CHF than uninjured adults, which may be due to survival bias.

Skin grafting following a burn injury attenuates/abolishes sweat production within grafted areas. It is presently unknown whether the thermoregulatory consequences of skin grafting depend on anatomical location.Purpose: To test the hypothesis that a simulated burn injury on the torso will be no more or less detrimental to core temperature control than on the limbs during uncompensable exercise-heat stress.Methods: Nine non-burned individuals (7 males, 2 females) completed the protocol. On separate occasions, burn injuries of identical surface area (0.45 ± 0.08 m2 or 24.4% ± 4.4% of total body surface area) were simulated on the torso or the arms/legs using an absorbent, vapor-impermeable material that impedes sweat evaporation in those regions. Participants performed 60 min of treadmill walking at 5.3 km·h-1 and a 4.1% ± 0.8% grade, targeting 6 W·kg-1 of metabolic heat production in 40.1°C ± 0.2°C and 19.6% ± 0.6% relative humidity conditions. Rectal temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses were measured.Results: Rectal temperature increased to a similar extent with simulated injuries on the torso and limbs (condition-by-time interaction: P = 0.86), with a final rectal temperature 0.9 ± 0.3°C above baseline in both conditions. No differences in heart rate, perceived exertion, or thermal sensation were observed between conditions (condition-by-time interactions: P ≥ 0.50).Conclusion: During uncompensable exercise-heat stress, sized-matched simulated burn injuries on the torso or limbs evoke comparable core temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses, suggesting that the risk of exertional heat illness in such environmental conditions is independent of injury location.

Skin grafting following a burn injury attenuates/abolishes sweat production within grafted areas. It is presently unknown whether the thermoregulatory consequences of skin grafting depend on anatomical location.Purpose: To test the hypothesis that a simulated burn injury on the torso will be no more or less detrimental to core temperature control than on the limbs during uncompensable exercise-heat stress.Methods: Nine non-burned individuals (7 males, 2 females) completed the protocol. On separate occasions, burn injuries of identical surface area (0.45 ± 0.08 m2 or 24.4% ± 4.4% of total body surface area) were simulated on the torso or the arms/legs using an absorbent, vapor-impermeable material that impedes sweat evaporation in those regions. Participants performed 60 min of treadmill walking at 5.3 km·h-1 and a 4.1% ± 0.8% grade, targeting 6 W·kg-1 of metabolic heat production in 40.1°C ± 0.2°C and 19.6% ± 0.6% relative humidity conditions. Rectal temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses were measured.Results: Rectal temperature increased to a similar extent with simulated injuries on the torso and limbs (condition-by-time interaction: P = 0.86), with a final rectal temperature 0.9 ± 0.3°C above baseline in both conditions. No differences in heart rate, perceived exertion, or thermal sensation were observed between conditions (condition-by-time interactions: P ≥ 0.50).Conclusion: During uncompensable exercise-heat stress, sized-matched simulated burn injuries on the torso or limbs evoke comparable core temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses, suggesting that the risk of exertional heat illness in such environmental conditions is independent of injury location.