Traumatic brain injury facts

To the editor:
    March is National Traumatic Brain Injury Month and it is important for all people to understand the prevalence of brain injury causes, symptoms, and long-term affects.     What is a traumatic brain injury?
    A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head, or spinning forces that disrupt the function of the brain. Common causes include motor vehicle crashes, falls or assaults. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. Non-traumatic brain injury is caused by illness such as meningitis and encephalitis; anoxic events – whereby oxygen flow to the brain is disrupted as in strokes, aneurysms or during cardiac arrest and near-drowning. The brain can also be damaged from tumors, hydrocephalus and substance abuse. Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children.
    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.
    Depending on the severity of the injury, some individuals may suffer from a mild or severe coma and recover after a period of rest. Others will require a lifetime of support. The severity of a brain injury is often only measured by the depth and duration of coma. It is important to remember that even a seemingly minor injury can result in major changes in a person’s life.
    An acquired brain injury is caused by traumatic and non-traumatic injuries that injure the brain.
How many people have TBI?
    Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States: 50,000 die; 235,000 are hospitalized; and millions are treated and released from an emergency department. The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.
    What causes TBI?
    The leading causes of TBI are: Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20 percent); Falls (28 percent); Struck by/against events (19 percent); Sports-related injuries; and Assaults (11 percent). Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones.
    Who is at highest risk for TBI? Males are about 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI. The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds. 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. Current costs have not been published and it can be estimated that due to the impact of the war, the current costs could be double or triple that amount.
    What are the long-term consequences of TBI?
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI. According to one study, about 40 percent of those hospitalized with a TBI had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury. The most frequent unmet needs were: Improving memory and problem solving; Managing stress and emotional upsets; Controlling one’s temper; and Improving one’s job skills.
    TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, language, learning, emotions, behavior, and/or sensation. 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.
    For more information about Traumatic Brain Injury services in Aroostook County, contact the Center for Integrated Neuro-Rehab in Caribou, a service of AMHC, at 498-6431.
Jamie Owens
director marketing and development
AMHC