Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) : Outcomes and Prevention

by CDC

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Children with a brain injury can have the same symptoms as adults, but it is often harder for them to let others know how they feel. Call your child's doctor if they have had a blow to the head and you notice any of these symptoms:

• Tiredness or listlessness;
• Irritability or crankiness (will not stop crying or cannot be consoled);
• Changes in eating (will not eat or nurse);
• Changes in sleep patterns;
• Changes in the way the child plays;
• Changes in performance at school;
• Lack of interest in favorite toys or activities;
• Loss of new skills, such as toilet training;
• Loss of balance or unsteady walking; or
• Vomiting.

If you think you or someone you know has a TBI, contact your health care provider. Your health care provider can refer you to a neurologist, neuropsychologist, neurosurgeon, or specialist in rehabilitation (such as a speech pathologist). Getting help soon after the injury by trained specialists may speed recovery.

Outcomes

The severity of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may range from "mild," i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness, to "severe," i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury.

CDC estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.1 TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, or emotions.

• Thinking (i.e., memory and reasoning);
• Sensation (i.e., touch, taste, and smell);
• Language (i.e., communication, expression, and understanding); and
• Emotion (i.e., depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out, and social inappropriateness).

TBI 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.

About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild TBI.

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.

The following general tips can aid in recovery:

• Get lots of rest. Don't rush back to daily activities such as work or school.
• Avoid doing anything that could cause another blow or jolt to the head.
• Ask your doctor when it's safe to drive a car, ride a bike, or use heavy equipment, because your ability to react may be slower after a brain injury.
• Take only the drugs your doctor has approved, and don't drink alcohol until your doctor says it's OK.
• Write things down if you have a hard time remembering.
• You may need help to re-learn skills that were lost. Your doctor can help arrange for these services.

Traumatic Brain Injury Prevention

There are many ways to reduce the chances of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), including:

1. Wearing a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle.

2. Buckling your child in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt (according to the child's height, weight, and age).

Children should start using a booster seat when they outgrow their child safety seats (usually when they weigh about 40 pounds). They should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are 4'9" tall.1

3. Never driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

4. Wearing a helmet and making sure your children wear helmets when:

• Riding a bike, motorcycle, snowmobile, scooter, or all-terrain vehicle;
• Playing a contact sport, such as football, ice hockey, or boxing;
• Using in-line skates or riding a skateboard;
• Batting and running bases in baseball or softball;
• Riding a horse; or
• Skiing or snowboarding.

5. Making living areas safer for seniors, by:

• Removing tripping hazards such as throw rugs and clutter in walkways;
• Using nonslip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors;
• Installing grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower;
• Installing handrails on both sides of stairways;
• Improving lighting throughout the home; and
• Maintaining a regular physical activity program, if your doctor agrees, to improve lower body strength and balance.

6. Making living areas safer for children, by: installing window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows; and using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around.

7. Making sure the surface on your child's playground is made of shock-absorbing material, such as hardwood mulch or sand.

There are many opportunities to raise awareness in your community about TBI. Below are some times of the year that may be opportune for drawing attention to a particular issue:

• The week of Valentine's Day is National Child Passenger Safety Week.
• March is Brain Injury Awareness Month.
• The fourth week of April is National Playground Safety Week.
• December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.

Schools are a great place to incorporate prevention efforts. The National SAFE KIDS campaign website and the National Program for Playground Safety website have plans for teachers and have student handouts about playground, motor vehicle, and sports and recreation safety.

About the Author

www.cdc.gov
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves.