DO YOU SUFFER FROM one of the many symptoms of TBI:
Fatigue
Headache
Difficulty Thinking
Memory Problems
Brain Fog
Attention Deficits
Mood Swings
Frustration
Muscle Weakness
Exercise Intolerance
Weight Gain
Isolation
Depression
Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Social Phobias
These injuries are commonly overlooked. Even though this type of TBI is called "mild", the effect on the family and the injured person can be devastating.
Severe brain injury is associated with loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes and memory loss after the injury or penetrating skull injury longer than 24 hours. The deficits range from impairment of higher-level cognitive functions to comatose states. Survivors may have:
Limited function of arms or legs
Abnormal speech or language
Loss of thinking ability
Emotional problems
The range of injuries and degree of recovery is very variable and varies on an individual basis.
The effects of TBI can be profound. Individuals with severe injuries can be left in long-term unresponsive states. For many people with severe TBI, long-term rehabilitation is often necessary to maximize function and independence. Even with mild TBI, the consequences to a person's life can be dramatic. Change in brain function can have a dramatic impact on family, job, social and community interaction.
DATA:
An estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually. Of them, 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1.365 million nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department with no follow up or treatment.
Falls are the leading cause of TBI followed by motor vehicle accidents.
339,000 veterans have been diagnosed with service related TBI from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
50% of TBI patients develop a mental disorder.
5.3 million people are living with a disability related to TBI.
