What is Traumatic Brain Injury?

The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the National Brain Injury Association defined Traumatic Brain Injury as follows:

"Traumatic Brain Injury is an insult to the brain, not of a degenerative nature, but caused by an external force, that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness (a loss of consciousness is not necessary to have suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury) that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness, which results in impairment of cognitive abilities or physical functioning. It can also result in the disturbance of behavior or emotional functioning. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent and may cause partial or total functional disability or psychosocial maladjustment."

How many people have TBI?

TBI's contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability annually. Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:

  • 50,000 die;
  • 235,000 are hospitalized;
  • 1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department.

Among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results in an estimated:

  • 2,685 deaths;
  • 37,000 hospitalizations;
  • The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.

What causes TBI?

The leading causes of TBI are:

  • Falls (28%);
  • Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%);
  • Struck by/against events (19%);
  • Assaults (11%).

What are the signs and symptoms of TBI?

The signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be subtle. Symptoms of a TBI may not appear until days or weeks following the injury or may even be missed as people may look fine even though they may act or feel differently

What are the long-term outcomes of TBI?

CDC estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans, approximately 2% of the U.S. population, currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, and/or emotions. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

What are the costs of TBI?

Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of TBI totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.

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