caregiver tip - Traumatic Brain Injury Council

Some activities place people at higher risk for a TBI. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, the main causes of TBI are:
• Falls.
• Motor vehicle crashes.
• Events that cause the head or body to be struck, including many
kinds of sports.
• Violent assaults.
• Military duties. Blasts now are a leading cause of TBI for active
military personnel in war zones.
TBI is the signature
injury of the Iraq and
Afghanistan Wars.
The Signature Injury of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars is TBI.
TBI now affects more than one-fourth of the survivors of bomb
blasts in war zones. Were it not for advances in body armor,
helmets, and battlefield medicine, most military victims of TBI would
not have survived as recently as 15 years ago.
Medical, behavioral and social problems following TBI may lead to
failed relationships and careers, substance abuse, and inability to
re-adapt to civilian life. Many military survivors of TBI also suffer
from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TBI OCCURS
With a TBI, there is a primary event or initial injury. Then there may be a
secondary event, or further injury from the body's and brain's responses.
For example, a person striking his or her head very hard causes immediate
bruising and tearing of brain tissue—a primary event. Then a reaction by
the brain, such as swelling, puts pressure on brain tissue and causes more
damage—a secondary event.
Damage from a secondary event can be more severe than damage
from the primary event.
M ODULE 1
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