What is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from "mild," i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to "severe," i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.

How many people have TBI? – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention 2010 Report

National Statistics

• Every 23 Seconds, one person in the U.S. sustains a Traumatic Brain Injury
• 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually
• 1.4 million are treated and released from an emergency department
• 275,000 per year are hospitalized
• 52,000 per year die with TBI
• 80,000 per year result in long term disability
• 5.3 million Americans are living with TBI
• Children aged 0 to 4 years, older adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, and adults aged 65 years and older are most likely to sustain a TBI.

The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.

Vermont Statistics (2005)

• Population of Vermont: 606,000
• 8,000 Vermonters are currently living with a TBI
• 2,619 Emergency Room Visits per year
• 400 Vermonters are injured each year
• 100 Vermonters sustain a moderate to severe brain injury each year
• Motor Vehicle Accidents are the #1 cause of brain injury
• Substances involved in 63% of injuries
• 70% are males
• 70% of individuals are discharged to home with little if no support

What are the leading causes of TBI?

• Falls (35.2%)
• Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%)
• Struck by/against events (16.5%)
• Assaults (10%)
• Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.

Who is at highest risk for TBI?

• In every age group, TBI rates are higher for males than for females.
• Motor vehicle-traffic injury is the leading cause of TBI related death. Rates are highest for adults aged 20 to 24 years.
• Certain military duties (e.g., paratrooper) increase the risk of sustaining a TBI.
• African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI.

What are the costs of TBI?

• Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of TBI totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.

What are the long-term consequences of TBI?

• Improving memory and problem solving
• Managing stress and emotional upsets
• Controlling one's temper
• Improving one's job skills

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, and/or emotions. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

Symptoms of Mild Brain Injury/Concussion include:

• Low-grade headache that won't go away
• Having more trouble than usual remembering things, paying attention or concentrating, organizing daily tasks, or making decisions and solving problems
• Slowness in thinking, speaking, acting or reading
• Getting lost or easily confused
• Feeling tired all the time, lack of energy or motivation
• Change in sleep pattern, sleeping much longer than before, having trouble sleeping
• Loss of balance, feeling light-headed or dizzy
• Increased sensitivity to sounds, lights, distractions
• Blurred vision or eyes that tire easily
• Loss of sense of taste or smell
• Ringing in the ears
• Change in sexual drive
• Mood changes like feeling sad, anxious, or listless, or becoming easily irritated or angry for little or no reason

A person with moderate or severe TBI may show the symptoms listed above, but may also have:

• A headache that gets worse or does not go away
• Repeated vomiting or nausea
• Convulsions or seizures
• Inability to wake up from sleep
• Dilation of one or both pupils
• Slurred speech
• Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs
• Loss of coordination
• Increased confusion, restlessness or agitation

For more information on brain injury call our Toll-Free Helpline: 1-877-856-1772

References

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