Newsman Highlights Brain Injury Epidemic

The Register-Guard

ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff, who suffered a near-fatal brain injury last year while on assignment in Iraq, went public with his story last week. That he survived at all was a testament to the excellent medical care he received. That a year later he could so eloquently share his story was a testament to his painstaking rehabilitation and his family's unwavering support.

However, despite his enormous progress, Woodruff acknowledged that, like millions of Americans who survive traumatic brain injury (TBI), he will never fully recover; he will never be the same.

TBI is a serious public health concern, resulting in disability affecting at least 5.3 million Americans. Annual TBI incidence rates exceed those of breast cancer, HIV/AIDS and spinal cord injury combined.Each year, approximately 460,000 children and adolescents and 1.1 million adults sustain brain injuries due to motor vehicle collisions, assaults, falls and sports activities. TBI is one of the leading causes of death among those under age 45.

In Oregon alone, more than 2,500 individuals are hospitalized annually for TBI. Thousands more who do not require hospitalization nonetheless experience significant changes following injury. Reports indicate that the incidence of TBI among the 1.5 million troops that have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan could be at least 10 percent.

Each individual's injury is unique, and the list of potential changes is endless. Physical changes may include losing the ability to walk and to perform such everyday activities as eating, bathing and dressing. TBI may also affect speech, language, memory and other cognitive abilities. Changes in personality, behavior and regulation of emotions are common, as are fatigue, headaches and chronic pain.

All of these dramatically affect one's ability to engage in life. Family relationships are altered, friends drift away, jobs are lost. Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.

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Anderson said he could not recall hearing of a lawsuit arising out of a student athlete's injury in his eight years with the association.

He said he was unaware of the lawsuit but familiar with the injury, which he termed "catastrophic."

The suit was filed by James and Denise Melka against Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin-Sports Medicine and Therapy, of Waukesha, which contracted with the school to provide trainers for its athletic program.

In the days after their son was permanently injured, the athelete's parents credited an orthopedic surgeon who was attending the game with saving their son's life.

The doctor was on the sideline during the game and recognized that the athelete had suffered a brain injury when he staggered to the sideline and began throwing up, accoding to news accounts.