Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Lawyer and Attorney
How Common is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) results principally from auto accidents, falls, acts of violence, and sports injuries and is more than twice as likely in males than in females. The estimated incidence rate is 100 per 100,000 persons with 52,000 annual deaths. The highest incidence is among persons 15 to 24 years of age and 75 years and older, with an additional less striking peak in incidence in children ages 5 and younger. Since TBI may result in lifelong impairment of an individual's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning and prevalence is estimated to be 2.5 million to 6.5 million individuals.
Each year 230,000 persons are hospitalized with traumatic brain injury and survive. 22% of the persons with traumatic brain injury die. Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury for persons 65 and over. Transportation related injuries are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury for persons of age 5-64. An estimated 5.3 million Americans - a little more than 2% of the US population - currently live with disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury.
What are the most common causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Approximately 50 percent of TBIs are the result of motor vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian-vehicle incidents. Safety belts, air bags, infant and child car seats, as well as changes in speed limits, road design, and traffic control have reduced motor vehicle-related deaths and TBI.
Falls are the second most frequent cause of TBI among the frail elderly and the very young. Risk factors for falls among the elderly include alcohol, medication, and osteoporosis. Few preventive measures are in place for either the very young or the elderly; however, there have been some changes in the design of walkers, strollers, and shopping carts to help prevent falls among young children.
Violence-related incidents account for approximately 20 percent of TBI. These incidents are almost equally divided into firearm and non-firearm assaults. The highest incidence for TBI due to firearms is among people ages 15 to 24. This is also a high-risk age for non-firearm assaults. Programs to prevent street violence must be strengthened, especially through legislation to control use of handguns and to increase their safety.
Assault is also a major cause of TBI in the very young. Although unintentional injuries account for 75 percent of TBI in this age group, child abuse is also an issue. Shaken baby syndrome results specifically in TBI and spinal cord injury. Domestic violence affects children and adults of both genders.
Although sports- and recreation-related injuries account for 3 percent of hospitalized persons with TBI, approximately 90 percent of sports-related TBIs are mild and may go unreported, thus leading to the underestimate of the actual incidence rate of sports-related TBI. Sports-related TBI occurs most frequently among people ages 5 to 24 with many decades of life ahead.
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