Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain.
NeurologyOverview
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes.
Symptoms
- Symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.
Causes & risk factors
The leading causes of TBI are:
- Falls (35.2%)
- Motor vehicle – traffic (17.3%)
- Struck by/against events (16.5%)
- Assaults (10%)
Falls
Falls continued to be the leading cause of TBI (35.2%) in the United States. Falls cause half (50%) of the TBIs among children aged 0 to 14 years and 61% of all TBIs among adults aged 65 years and older.
Motor Vehicle-Traffic Crashes
Among all age groups, motor vehicle crashes and traffic-related incidents were the second leading cause of TBI (17.3%) and resulted in the largest percentage of TBI-related deaths (31.8%).
Struck By/Against Events
Struck by/against events, which include colliding with a moving or stationary object, were the second leading cause of TBI among children aged 0 to 14 years, with 25%.
Assault
Assaults produced 10% of TBIs in the general population; they accounted for only 2.9% in children aged 0 to 14 years and 1% in adults aged 65 years old and older.
Who is at Risk?
- Approximately 18% of all TBI-related emergency department visits involved children aged 0 to 4 years.
- Approximately 22% of all TBI-related hospitalizations involved adults aged 75 years and older. Males are more often diagnosed with a TBI (59%).
Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones. CDC estimates of TBI do not include injuries seen at U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Veterans Health Administration Hospitals
When to get help
Seek emergency care after a head injury with repeated vomiting, worsening headache, seizures, slurred speech, weakness, unequal pupils, or trouble staying awake. Even milder head injuries should be evaluated if symptoms persist.
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All information on this site is provided “as-is” for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. You should consult with a medical professional if you have any questions about your health.