According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 5.3
million Americans are living with disabilities associated
with traumatic brain injuries.
A brain
injury occurs every 16 seconds; a death from brain injury
occurs every 12 minutes.
The highest rates of brain injury typically occur in males
ages 15-24. Young children and individuals over 75 years
of age are also more susceptible to head injury due to
falls.
% of TBI
Injuries per Age Group
|
15-25 yrs |
26-35 yrs |
36-45 yrs |
46-55 yrs |
56-65 yrs |
66-75 yrs |
76-85 yrs |
| 31.7% |
22.5% |
19.5% |
10.0% |
7.5% |
6.3% |
2.5% |
Three quarters of those
injured are males. Only 21.2% of the TBI injuries were to
females while 78.8% involved males.
Approximately two million head injuries occur each year in
the United States and between 75,000 and 100,000 Americans
die each year as a result of those injuries. For those who
survive, at least 500,000 will require hospitalization and
70,000 to 90,000 will suffer long-term, physical,
intellectual, psychological and cognitive deficits.
Nationwide, TBI leaves more than 17,000 children with a
permanent disability every year.
Nationwide, TBI in children results in more than 250,000
hospital admissions every year.
Nationwide, TBIs account for more than 10 percent of all
emergency room visits by children.
Individuals with a traumatic brain injury often suffer
other injuries as well. The Model Systems National
Database shows that 72% of the TBI admissions had
fractures. There were cranial nerve deficits in 17% of
cases and 4% of the individuals had a spinal cord injury.
The national statistics cite between 50 and 70% of
traumatic brain injuries are the result of a motor vehicle
crash (MVC).
The mortality (death) rate for TBI is 30 per 100,000. Of
those who die, 50% do so within the first 2 hours of their
injury. This is one reason that there is increased
emphasis on treatment at the scene of the injury.
Causes of TBI
|
Motor Vehicle Crashes |
Gunshot Wounds |
Falls |
Assault |
Pedestrian |
Sports |
| 64% |
13% |
11% |
8% |
3% |
1% |
Most TBI injury / accidents occur primarily on weekends
(51%) and most occur in the night time hours.
A person not wearing their seatbelt is 8.4 times more
likely to sustain a traumatic brain injury with loss of
consciousness in a car wreck.
A properly fitted bicycle helmet reduces the risk by 85%
from having a head injury if you happen to fall off of
your bike.
Only 1 percent of the children
admitted to trauma units after a bicycle injury were
wearing helmets.
22% of the
football players that are hospitalized due to an injury
are diagnosed with head or neck injuries.
46% of children admitted to
trauma centers for winter sports injuries were diagnosed
with a head injury. Of those children admitted to a
trauma center for treatment:
- 6% were injured while
sledding
- 17% were injured while
snowboarding
- 17% were injured while
skiing
- 17% were injured while
playing hockey
- 10% were injured while
ice skating
Average lifetime cost of care for a person with severe TBI
may range from $600,000 to $1,875,000.
Each year,
there are 2,000 new cases of "persistent vegetative state"
in the US as a result of brain injury.
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