This category of injuries, called diffuse brain injury, may occur with or without an associated mass lesion.ĭiffuse Axonal Injury: Axonal injury refers to impaired function and gradual loss of axons.These long extensions of nerve cells enable them to communicate with each other. Hydrocephalus may result from severe traumatic SAH.ĭiffuse Injuries: TBIs can produce microscopic changes that do not appear on CT scans and are scattered throughout the brain. Most cases of SAH associated with head trauma are mild. It appears as diffuse blood spread thinly over the surface of the brain and commonly after TBI. Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is caused by bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The size and location of the hemorrhage helps determine whether it can be removed surgically. Intracerebral Hemorrhage: An intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) describes bleeding within the brain tissue, may be related to other brain injuries, especially contusions. Most commonly, contusions are at the base of the front parts of the brain, but may occur anywhere. They consist of areas of injured or swollen brain mixed with blood that has leaked from arteries, veins, or capillaries. When examined under a microscope, cerebral contusions are comparable to bruises in other parts of the body. A subdural hematoma is a collection of blood between the dura mater and the arachnoid layer, which sits directly on the surface of the brain.Ĭontusion: A cerebral contusion is bruising of brain tissue. An epidural hematoma is a collection of blood between the dura mater (the protective covering of the brain) and the inside of the skull. Hematomas may occur anywhere within the brain. Hematoma: A hematoma is a blood clot within the brain or on its surface. Summarized below are different types of sequelae deveoped from TBIs: TBIs can cause “mass lesions,” w an area of localized injury such as hematomas and contusions that increase pressure within the brain. Introduction to Brain Injury – Facts and Stats, February 2000. The leading causes of non-fatal TBI in the US occur from falls (35%), motor vehicle-related injuries (17%), and strikes or blows to the head from or against an object (17%), such as sports injuries.Ĭenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Incidence and Distribution, 2014.The leading causes of TBI-related deaths are due to motor vehicle crashes, suicides, and falls.Beginning at age 30, the mortality risk after head injury begins to increase. Deaths from head injuries account for 34 percent of all traumatic deaths.The mortality rate for TBI is 30 per 100,000, or an estimated 50,000 deaths in the U.S.The highest rates of TBI are observed in older adults (≥75 years 2,232 per 100,000 population), very young (0 to 4 years 1591 per 100,000), and young adults (15 to 24 years 1081 per 100,000).Sports and recreational activities contribute to about 21 percent of all TBIs among American children and adolescents.Males represent 78.8 percent of all reported TBI accidents and females represent 21.2 percent, with higher rates of TBI amongst males (959 per 100,000) than females (811 per 100,000).
Each year, 80,000-90,000 people experience the onset of long-term or lifelong disabilities associated with TBI.Among children ages 14 and younger, TBI accounts for an estimated 2,529 deaths, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 837,000 emergency room visits.From 2006, there has been a 53% increase in the total number of TBI related ED visits, hospitalizations and deaths.There are about 288,000 hospitalizations for TBI every year, more than 20 times the number of hospitalizations for spinal cord injury.Estimated annual direct and indirect TBI costs are $76.5 billion.An estimated 13.5 million individuals live with a disability due to traumatic brain injury in the U.S. in 2014 with over 837,000 cases occurring amongst children. According to the CDC, approximately 2.87 million cases of TBI occurred in the U.S.