March Is Brain Injury Awareness Month For The Military
Each year, our Military Health System recognizes March as "Brain Injury Awareness Month." Listed below is helpful information for all servicemembers, retirees, veterans, and their families, as well as for the general public.
Causes
The leading causes of TBIs are:
•Falls (28%).
•Motor vehicle crashes (20%);
•Struck by/against events (19%);
•Assaults (11%)
Signs & Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be subtle. Symptoms of a TBI may not appear for days or weeks following the injury, or may not be noticed, since some people look fine even though they may act or feel differently. The following are common signs and symptoms of a TBI:
•Difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions;
•Slowness in thinking, speaking, and/or reading;
•Headaches or neck pain that do not go away;
•Getting lost or easily confused;
•Feeling tired all the time - having no energy or motivation;
•Mood changes (feeling sad or angry for no reason);
•Changes in sleep patterns (sleeping a lot more or having a hard time sleeping);
•Light-headedness, dizziness, or loss of balance;
•Urge to vomit (nausea);
•Increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, or distraction; and
•Blurred vision or eyes that tire easily;
Severity
The severity of a TBI may range from "mild" (a brief change in mental status or consciousness) to "severe" (an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury). An estimated 5.3 million Americans are living today with a TBI-related disability and require help performing daily activities.
About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild TBIs. Repeated mild TBIs occurring over an extended period of time (i.e., months & years) can result in cumulative neurological and cognitive deficits. Repeated mild TBIs occurring within a short period of time (i.e., hours, days, or weeks) can be catastrophic or fatal.
Costs
The costs to TBI victims can be staggering. It is difficult to fully describe the human cost of TBI, and the burdens borne by those who are injured and their families. Only a few studies of the monetary costs of these injuries are available. According to one study conducted in 2006, direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity from TBIs totaled approximately $60 billion in the United States.
In situations involving Traumatic Brain Injury, it is essential that prompt measures be taken to preserve evidence, prove the nature and extent of the injuries, and enable expert medical witnesses to support the cause of the injuries.
Please visit the Military Heath System Brain Injury Awareness Month webpage to learn more about brain injuries.
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