Epilepsy Resources

Injury Review: Causes, Symptoms, And Consequences Of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are caused by a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a traumatic brain injury. TBI symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of damage to the brain. A mild TBI usually involves a brief change in mental status or consciousness while a severe TBI would mean an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury.

Traumatic brain injuries can have different signs and symptoms depending upon the severity of the injury. With mild TBI some symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes, difficulty balancing, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, confusion, and trouble with memory or concentration. Any of these symptoms could also be found in moderate or severe TBI cases. Moderate or severe TBI patients may experience headaches that dont go away, repeated vomiting, dilation in one or both pupils, slurred speech, language problems, weakness or numbness in the limbs, loss of coordination, restlessness, and agitation. All of these symptoms are serious but may not show up for hours or even days and in some cases even weeks after the initial TBI.

Traumatic brain injuries are sustained by approximately 1.4 million people each year in the United States alone. Of these 1.4 millions cases, roughly 50,000 end in death, 235,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are treated and released from the emergency department. The leading causes of traumatic brain injuries are falls (28 percent), motor vehicle accidents (20 percent), struck by/against events (19 percent) and assaults (11 percent).

Traumatic brain injuries often end in death or disability. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 5.3 million Americans, approximately 2 percent of the population, currently have difficulty performing daily living activities as a result of a TBI. A TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes that affect thinking, sensation, language, and/or emotions. TBI patients can also develop epilepsy and have an increased risk for conditions such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

Direct and indirect costs such as loss of productivity from a TBI were totaled at an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.

By: Phillip Stone