Brain Injury Symptoms

Traumatic Brain Injury
Symptoms in Adults and Children

According to the Centers for Disease Control there are more than 1.4 million people who suffer a traumatic brain injury each year in the United States. Of those who suffer a traumatic brain injury:

50,000 die
235,000 need hospitalization
1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency room.

The causes of traumatic brain injury are many and range from falls (28%) and motor vehicle crashes (20%) to being struck by/against occurrences (19%) and assaults (11%).

TBI occurs twice as often in men than in women. The two groups most at risk for suffering TBI are:

Individuals between the ages of 15 and 24.
Individuals 75 and older.

Because many of the symptoms of TBI do not manifest themselves immediately, a traumatic brain injury can be missed after the injury occurs. The symptoms may take days or weeks to appear so it is important if you’ve hit your head because of a fall, a car accident or some other injury, to seek immediate medical attention—even if you don’t show any symptoms.

For adults, the symptoms of TBI are many and include:

Headaches or neck pain that doesn’t go away
Ringing in the ears
Feeling confused or becoming easily lost
Difficulty in thinking, speaking, or reading
Problems with memory, concentration or making decisions;
Blurred vision

Nausea

Dizziness, light-headedness, or loss of balance

Feeling constantly fatigued

Changes in sleep patterns-either sleeping more or less

For children, the symptoms of TBI are similar but oftentimes, young children are unable to clearly let
others know how they feel. Children’s symptoms can
often include: