Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths

Abstract

Highlights of the Results Each year in the United States: • At least 1.4 million people sustain a TBI. Of them, about 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized, and 1.1 million are treated and released from an ED. Purpose of the Report Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths presents basic data on the incidence of TBI. It goes beyond previous reports by including ED visits, and answers a wide range of important questions about how many TBIs occur each year in the United States, who is affected, and how these TBIs occur. These data can answer questions such as "Do men sustain TBIs more often than women? Are children more likely to have a TBI than adults? How important are motor vehicles as a cause of TBI among older adults?" This report is intended as a reference for policy makers, service providers, educators, researchers, advocates, and others interested in knowing more about the impact of TBI in the United States. This important information can be used to document the need for TBI prevention, to identify priorities for research, and to support the need for services among those living with TBI-related disability.

Traumatic injury to the immature brain: Inflammation, oxidative injury, and iron-mediated damage as potential therapeutic targets

“…In the United States alone, there are an estimated 475,000 annual cases of TBI among children under the age of 15 years, resulting in 2,685 deaths. 1 The disabilities resulting from pediatric TBI are often profound and life-long, 2 and include sensorimotor 3 and cognitive impairments 4 as well as psychological dysfunction. 4 TBI is defined as any head injury with traumatic etiology, including blunt or penetrating trauma and nonaccidental injury.…”

An Autopsy Study of Pattern of Fatal Cranio-Cerebral Injuries Due to Blunt Force Trauma at Medicolegal Centre of A Tertiary Healthcare Centre

“…It has been reported that falls are the most common cause of TBI in older adults since approximately 10% of falls in older people result in injuries such as TBI as per Thompson et al 31 . Other studies have confirmed that falls were the leading mechanism of TBI for older adults, accounting for 51% of cases as per Langlois et al 32 . But this is not consistent with our studies.…”

Traumatic Brain Injury and Executive Functioning in an Incarcerated Sample

“…The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that at least 1.4 million people sustain a TBI each year (Langlois, Rutland-Brown & Thomas, 2006). Brain injuries are more likely to result in death than any other type of injury, and TBI is the leading cause of long-term disability both in the United States and worldwide (North American Brain Injury Society, n.d.; Thurman et al, 1999) making TBI a significant public health concern.…”

“…For example, head injury is 1.5 times more likely to affect men than women (CDC, 2006) Though the causes of the elevated TBI rate among incarcerated adults are not well understood, the evidence presented thus far clearly suggests that rates of TBI are significant in correctional populations. Knowledge and awareness of the incidence of TBI in the general population has increased over time as it has become a focus for research (Langlois et al, 2006). However, only one large-scale meta-analysis to date has attempted to determine the incidence of TBI among incarcerated populations.…”

“…Despite its negative impacts on individuals and on society, TBI is often referred to as a silent epidemic for reasons such as limited public awareness and lack of clarity regarding its consequences (Langlois et al, 2006). Additionally, multiple definitions exist for traumatic brain injury, and there are alternate terms (e.g., head injury, traumatic brain injury) that are used synonymously in TBI research.…”