A brain injury refers to damage to the brain or its protective coverings that leads to an altered mental state and results in impaired cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or physical functioning.
More than 3.1 million children and adults in the US live with lifelong disabilities due to brain injury, and another 6.4 million are living with disabilities caused by stroke. That translates to over 22,000 North Dakotans affected by acquired brain injury — roughly the population of Mandan. (Source: ND Brain Injury Network).
Types of Brain Injuries:
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is an injury to the brain caused by either internal or external forces.
- Causes of an ABI: Stroke, Infections, Tumors, Substance Exposure, Anoxic injuries (when the brain is deprived of oxygen).
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a type of brain injury caused by an external force.
- Causes of a TBI: Falls (making up almost 50% of TBIs), Motor Vehicle Accidents (13% of TBIs), Violence, Sports injuries, Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Brain Injury Severity
Diagnosing and determining the severity of a brain injury involves a combination of neurological assessments, clinical evaluations, imaging tests, and observation. Severity is typically categorized as mild, moderate, or severe.
Concussions
Concussions are a form of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that can result in significant lifelong impairments affecting physical, cognitive, and psychological functioning.
- NDBIN Factsheet: What Is A Concussion?
- Video: What Is A Concussion?
- Video: Concussions 101 A Primer for Kids & Parents
Life After Brain Injury
While every brain injury is unique, individuals often experience common symptoms, making coping strategies essential for improving quality of life, managing those symptoms, and promoting recovery.
Brain Injury and Learning
Young children primarily acquire a brain injury from falls, such as from beds or highchairs, and child abuse (abusive head trauma). Other causes include sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and being struck by objects. Unlike older children and adults, infants and toddlers are more vulnerable to brain injuries due to their thinner skulls and their heads making up a larger portion of their body's surface area.
Children younger than 5 years old have the highest incidence of emergency department visits for brain injury at a time when they are just beginning to develop their cognitive, motor, and sensory skills. Signs and symptoms reported in young children during the clinical assessment are different than those observed among older children since their symptoms are typically observed and reported by parents. (Source: Brain Injury of America)