A Contribution from Jeff Bredenberg: Acquired Brain Injury Related to Stroke and Car Accidents

 Jeff Bredenberg wrote this for Life Line Screening (www.lifelinescreening.com)

Life Line Screening would like to acknowledge the passing of the writer of this article.  Jeff suffered from acquired brain injury due to a brain tumor.  He will be missed.)

More than 5 million Americans today are living with a disability related to traumatic brain injury, according to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, which operates a highly ranked health system and hospital, including a branch that specializes in brain disorders.

When brain damage results suddenly from an outside source, doctors call that an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), and they classify such injuries into two types:

·         Closed brain injury, caused by bruising during abrupt back-and-forth movement, as with shaken baby syndrome, a form of child abuse. Closed brain injuries also typically result from car accidents or falls.

·         Penetrating brain injury, when an object enters the skull and damages brain tissue inside.

The top causes of ABI are motor vehicle accidents, falls and firearms.

The rate of brain injury is highest among young adults (age 15 to 24 years) and older adults (75 years or older).

Another major source of brain injury has a cardiovascular origin—stroke, also known as a brain attack, occurring when the vascular system becomes blocked and fails to deliver blood to the brain. Stroke is the third largest cause of death in the United States, causing one out of every 16 deaths, according to the American Heart Association.

The effects of a brain injury may be mild, and symptoms may come and fade over time.  More serious effects of brain injuries can include deep coma and death.

The milder effects may include memory problems, attention problems, poor coordination, changes in sensory perception, hesitant speech, trouble forming sentences, And problems relating to other people in social situations.

People close to a brain-injured patient may notice personality changes such as mood swings, irritability, depression, apathy, and anxiety.

The patient may have trouble with routine tasks such as shopping, paying bills, organizing, and driving.

A rehabilitation program for a brain-injury patient would typically include such specialists as a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a physical therapist, a social worker and other counselors and therapists.

A brain-injury rehabilitation program might focus on self-care, communication skills, socialization skills, cognitive skills, mobility, vocational training, and pain management

Modern Safety procedures and cutting-edge medicine have gone a long way toward reducing the incidence of brain injury and easing the impact that such injuries have on patients. In the meantime, protect yourself from brain injuries by following such common advice as:

·         Always wear a helmet when cycling.

·         If you’re an athlete, always wear the protective gear designed for your sport.

·         In motor vehicles, always wear a seatbelt, and make sure safety equipment is installed and operational.

·         If Firearms are part of your life, make sure that you and everyone close to you have thorough firearms safety training

Sources:

1.University of Alabama-Birmingham http://www.health.uab.edu/15040/

2. http://www.health.uab.edu/65855/