People who have suffered a traumatic brain injury can experience a variety of side effects ranging from emotional issues such as depression to physical problems like impaired thinking, trouble with hearing and decreased motor skills. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brain trauma is responsible for 30 percent of deaths caused by injury in the United States.
The CDC outlines several circumstances that can lead to such an injury, including the following:
- A fall: The leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, a fall results in 40 percent of all such issues.
- Unintentional trauma: This refers to when something strikes the head.
- Assaults: The CDC reports that three-fourths of TBI due to assault will occur in people ages 15 to 44.
- Car crashes: While these are the third leading cause of such injuries, they are the second leading factor in TBI-related fatalities.
A brain injury can also occur when the brain is deprived of oxygen. The Mayo Clinic points out that children who are 4 years old and younger are especially at risk of a brain injury. Part of the reason for that is because issues during labor and delivery can result in trauma. While there are times that the issue is not preventable, many people suffer brain injuries due to a medical mistake, such as failure to order a cesarean section in a timely fashion or failure to properly monitor the mother or infant.
Because there are so many different types of traumatic brain injuries, the treatment may greatly very. A mild situation may require little else besides rest and pain relievers. In more serious circumstances, people may need long-term care, surgery, anti-seizure medicine and a number of other treatments.
