TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury

Each year more than 1.6 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, with more than 50,000 of those injuries resulting in death. Annual cost of these injuries is estimated at $30 billion.

TBI is the result of an external force causing damage to the brain. These external forces causing traumatic brain injury include vehicle accidents, acts of violence or sports injuries.

Traumatic brain injury can be to only one specific area of the brain, or focal, or it can be diffuse, meaning it involves more than one area of the brain. Traumatic brain injury can be the result of a closed head injury or from a penetrating head trauma.

When the head violently hits an object the resulting traumatic brain injury is usually a closed head injury. When an object, such as a bullet, pierces the skull and damages the brain, it is classified as a penetrating head injury.

Depending on the amount of damage to the brain, symptoms of TBI are classified as mild, moderate or severe. Someone with mild TBI may or may not lose consciousness for a very short time, usually seconds, suffer a headache, be confused, lightheaded or dizzy, among other symptoms.

Someone with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury may have these symptoms along with a worsening headache, vomiting, nausea, convulsions, seizures, be unable to be awakened from sleep, have slurred speech and weakness or numbness in the arms or legs.

This site is designed to provide information to people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, their families, friends and co-workers.