traumatic Brain Injury in the united statesThis body of work is a vital tool for those who devise the strategies for prevention and treatment. However, a critical dimension will be lost if one sees it only as data, if one does not try to put even a fleeting face behind the numbers. They represent people who -if they survived -have had their lives significantly affected. Through research, we are finding better ways to prevent injury and improve acute care. We who are injured may experience improvement both in function and the quality of our lives when we have access to rehabilitation and support to develop and utilize our remaining strengths and abilities. With so many lives affected, we seek and have the potential for independence, to have the chance to move beyond our disabilities and give back to society.As a survivor, as a disabled physician, I applaud this publication as a step toward making that possible."
TBI in the United States• An estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually. Of them:• 52,000 die,• 275,000 are hospitalized, and• 1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department.• TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the United States.
TBI by Age• Children aged 0 to 4 years, older adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, and adults aged 65 years and older are most likely to sustain a TBI.• Almost half a million (473,947) emergency department visits for TBI are made annually by children aged 0 to 14 years.• Adults aged 75 years and older have the highest rates of TBI-related hospitalization and death.
TBI by Sex• In every age group, TBI rates are higher for males than for females.• Males aged 0 to 4 years have the highest rates for TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths combined.
TBI by External Cause• Falls are the leading cause of TBI. Rates are highest for children aged 0 to 4 years and for adults aged 75 years and older.• Falls result in the greatest number of TBI-related emergency department visits (523,043) and hospitalizations (62,334).• Motor vehicle-traffic injury is the leading cause of TBI-related death. Rates are highest for adults aged 20 to 24 years.
Additional TBI Findings*• There was an increase in TBI-related emergency department visits (14.4%) and hospitalizations (19.5%) from 2002 to 2006.• There was a 62% increase in fall-related TBI seen in emergency departments among children aged 14 years and younger from 2002 to 2006.• There was an increase in fall-related TBIs among adults aged 65 and older; 46% increase in emergency department visits, 34% increase in hospitalizations, and 27% increase in TBI-related deaths from 2002 to 2006.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important public health problem in the United States and worldwide. The estimated 5.3 million Americans living with TBI-related disability face numerous challenges in their efforts to return to a full and productive life. This article presents an overview of the epidemiology and impact of TBI.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.