Tag Archives: TBI
Traumatic Brain Injuries Lead to Death and Disability
The suicides of famous NFL players such as Junior Seau and Dave Duerson after years of coping with concussion damage caused by ferocious hits on the football field generate most of the headlines concerning traumatic brain injuries. But the fact is that all Americans, no matter their age, are susceptible to traumatic brain injuries, and such injuries are more common than you might suspect. Traumatic brain injuries contribute to 30 percent of all injury deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 138 Americans die each day from injuries that include TBIs. Bumps, blows or jolts to the head as well as penetrating head injuries that disrupt …
Car Accidents and Traumatic Brain Injury
With football-caused concussions and brain disease grabbing so much attention, it’s easy to forget that sports are a relatively uncommon source of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, among the general population. In fact, motor vehicle accidents and falls are responsible for most TBIs suffered by Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2 million Americans per year experience TBI, with 14.3% caused by traffic accidents and 40.5% caused by falls. That means some 286,000 TBIs result from car crashes annually. The actual number may be much higher, because brain injuries aren’t always immediately obvious after an accident. Indeed, TBI is commonly referred to as a “silent” epidemic …
Formula 1 Crash Highlights Risk of TBI in Car Accidents
Whenever a driver gets into a race car, he or she is fully aware of the risks of severe injury or death. But when a horrible crash occurs, it is still a shock. That is what the family members, friends and fans of Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi are experiencing after an Oct. 5 crash in the Japanese Grand Prix. Bianchi suffered a form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) known as a diffuse axonal injury (DAI) after his car hydroplaned on a wet track and hit the rear of a vehicle that was being used to remove the wreckage of another driver’s car. Doctors classified Bianchi’s condition as critical but …
Study of Combat Veterans Finds Link Between TBI and Dementia
A newly published medical study involving more than 100,000 military veterans provides evidence of a positive link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and developing dementia later in life. The findings suggest that civilians who experience a brain injury would also be at greater risk of developing brain injury. “TBI in older veterans was associated with a 60 percent increase in the risk of developing dementia,” researchers wrote in a study published by Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and reported by Tech Times and other publications. “Our results suggest that TBI in older veterans may predispose them toward development of symptomatic dementia and raise concern about …
Are NFL’s Concussion and Domestic Violence Problems Linked?
Several articles have come out in early September examining whether there may be a connection between two problems currently plaguing the National Football League: Concussions and domestic violence. Concussions are a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI). They have been a major problem in the NFL – and all levels of the sport – for many years. In 2013 alone, 228 concussions were diagnosed among NFL players, according to the league’s annual Health & Safety Report. The problem has recently received heightened attention due to research indicating a link between repeated concussions and brain disease such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Additionally, the NFL is now facing a class-action …
Back to College Means Back to Accidents
As parents say goodbye to their children heading back to college, or area residents welcome students back to schools, our thoughts turn to college students and the cars they drive. More specifically, there is reason to be concerned about the increase in car accidents and traumatic brain injury (TBI) when college students return to school. About 70 percent of college-age students own or have access to cars, according to College Parents of America. In addition to increased congestion in areas around college campuses once fall semester begins, there is typically an increase in accidents, including accidents that can cause TBI. “For many students, the first year of college is a …
Researchers Spot Surge in ER Visits for Traumatic Brain Injuries
Greater awareness of problems stemming from blows to the head could be leading to a major increase in the number of traumatic brain injuries, according to new research. A study analyzing patient information from 950 hospitals nationwide found 2.5 million people were admitted to emergency rooms for treatment of traumatic brain injuries in 2010. That marked a 29 percent increase over 2006, even though emergency department visits went up just 3.6 percent in the same time frame, according to the study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Concussions in Young Children and Seniors Drive TBI Spike Concussions and other unspecified injuries – many of which were …
