Definitions
Acquired Brain Injury:
An acquired brain injury is defined as any injury to the brain that occurs after birth including events such as a blood clot, stroke, infections, lack of oxygen, or a traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury:
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a head injury that impairs brain function. The severity of the TBI ranges from mild to severe and can result in short-term or long-term symptoms.
Statistics & Facts
- Traumatic brain injury results in the death of over 50,000 people each year.
- The leading causes of brain injury are falls (28%), motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%), struck by/against events (19%), and assaults (11%)
- Males are 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a traumatic brain injury.
- After receiving the first brain injury, the risk of a second injury is three times greater. After the second injury, the rick for a third injury is eight times greater.
- The risk of obtaining a TBI is highest for adolescents, young adults, and individuals older than 75 years old.
- Over 1.4 million Americans suffer from a traumatic brain injury each year, 235,000 of which are hospitalized.
- 5.3 million or more Americans currently live with disabilities that resulted from a traumatic brain injury.
- Most concussions do NOT result in a loss of consciousness
