Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain and disrupts brain function. The trauma can occur in one of two ways: when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and damages brain tissue.
According to a report published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.7 million people in the U.S. sustain a TBI each year, with 
52,000 of those dying from their injuries.
Symptoms of TBI
Persons with mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury often exhibit the same symptoms, although some indications are unique to one or the other.
- Loss of Consciousness – Someone with mild TBI may experience a loss of consciousness and remain unconscious for a few seconds or minutes. The symptoms of moderate TBI are similar but usually more serious and long lasting, while a person with severe TBI may remain unconscious for 24 hours or more.
- Headache – Persistent headache is a common symptom for all degrees of traumatic brain injury, although someone with severe TBI will have a headache that worsens or does not go away.
- Fatigue or Lethargy – A decrease in a person’s physical and mental reserves after TBI causes fatigue and lethargy, which in turn will overtax the brain and make the injured individual extremely tired.
- Dementia – Over the past 30 years, a link between moderate to severe traumatic brain injury and a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia has been established. Older adults with a history of moderate traumatic brain injury have two to three times the risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those with no history of head injury.
Treatment and Prognosis
Many symptoms of TBI may not be present or noticeable at the time of injury, and often take days or weeks to appear. Anyone with signs of TBI should seek medical care immediately.
If you or someone you love has sustained a traumatic brain injury resulting from an automobile crash involving negligence, contact a personal injury lawyer at O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys online, or call 701-235-8000 or 877-235-8002 (toll-free) today.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
