Facts About Brain Injury

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and here at CNS, we’re working to do our part to help spread helpful information about brain injuries. We’ve collected a series of facts, stats, and explanations to help you better understand brain injuries and how they affect not only the person with the injury, but the world around them.

Causes of Brain Injury

Brain injuries have a variety of causes, here are a few that we’d like to make you aware of:

• An acquired brain injury (ABI) is any injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is type of ABI. A TBI is caused by trauma to the brain from an external force
• Electric shock is a typical cause of ABI Near Drowning Oxygen Deprivation (Hypoxia/Anoxia) Stroke Seizure Disorder Toxic Exposure Trauma Tumor
• Lightning strikes are typical cause of ABI
• Infectious disease is a typical cause of ABI
• Substance abuse/overdose is a typical cause of ABI

Brain Injury Symptoms and Impairments

Symptoms of brain injury manifest in a wide variety of symptoms and impairments. Here are some facts about the symptoms and impairments caused by brain injury:

• Brain Injury can cause many kinds of physical, cognitive, and behavioral/emotional impairments
• Impairments caused by brain injury may be either temporary or permanent
• Impairments may range from subtle to severe
• Brain injury may result in seizure disorders
• Of all types of injury, those to the brain are among the most likely to result in death or permanent disability
• Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of seizure disorders

Living with Brain Injury

Once a person suffers a brain injury, their symptoms and impairments can severely impact their daily lives. Here are some of the impacts we think you should be aware of:

• One of every 60 people in the U.S. lives with a TBI- related disability.
• Annually in the US an estimated 5.3 million Americans are living today with a disability related to traumatic brain injury.
• About 5.3 percent of Americans, roughly two percent of the U.S population, need help performing everyday activities as a result of traumatic brain injuries.
• About 40% of those hospitalized with a TBI had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury.
• Brain Injury is a public health concern that demands ongoing epidemiological study, increased efforts to prevent injuries from occurring, and research to advance medical options and therapeutic interventions.

Brain Injury Statistics

Millions of people in the US and around the globe are living with the aftermath of a brain injury. Here are some statistics to show you how widespread these issues are:

• In the US most studies indicate that males are far more likely to incur a TBI as females
• Every 9 seconds, someone in the United States sustains a brain injury
• More than 3.5 million children and adults sustain an ABI each year, but the total incidence is unknown
• In the US the highest rate of injury occurs in between the ages of 15-24 years Persons under the age of 5 or over the age of 75 are also at higher risk
• In Europe, brain injury accounts for one million hospital admissions per year
• The number of people who sustain TBIs and do not seek treatment is unknown
• In the US each year, at least 2.5 million adults & children sustain a TBI 2.2 million are treated for TBI in Emergency Departments (also known as ERs) or Trauma Centers
• Each year in the US, 280,000 adults & children are hospitalized due to a TBI
• 50,000 adults & children die each year in the US due to a TBI
• Every day, 137 people die in the United States because of a TBI-related injury
• At least 5.3 million Americans live with a TBI- related disability
• Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide

The Broad Impact of Brain Injury

When someone sustains a brain injury, many people are affected:

• Educators at every level, but particularly special education teachers and those who prepare America’s future healthcare workforce
• Government agencies that administer health and social programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), and vocational rehab
• Attorneys of all types, including those who handle personal injury, insurance and disability claims, civil rights and discrimination, domestic actions, wills, estates, and trusts
• Healthcare providers, including surgeons, physicians, counselors, rehab therapists, social workers, and personal care attendants
• Employers of all type
• Insurance companies that issue auto accident, individual, and group health, disability, life and reinsurance policies
• Survivors and their parents, spouses, siblings, extended families, and friends

The Mission of the Center for Neurological Studies is to improve the lives of people with neurobehavioral disorders. By using advanced neuroimaging techniques, CNS can more accurately characterize brain network abnormalities, improve the effectiveness of existing treatments, and more efficiently evaluate the efficacy of experimental treatments.  Contact us today for more information or join us in our mission to imagine what’s possible in the world of TBI.