What is Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from "mild," i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to "severe," i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.

Each year, at least 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury resulting in more than 4,000 individuals sustaining a TBI on a daily basis. One million people are treated and released annually from hospital emergency rooms after sustaining a brain injury. Brain injury claims more than 50,000 lives and leaves more than 80,000 individuals with lifelong disabilities each year. The silent epidemic of brain injury is illustrated best by a 1999 statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - there currently are at least 5.3 million Americans living with a disability as a result of brain injury.

The leading causes of TBI:

Who is at risk for a TBI?

Males are about 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI. The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds. Certain military duties (e.g., paratrooper) increase the risk of sustaining a TBI. African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.

According to one study, about 40% of those hospitalized with a TBI had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury. The most frequent unmet needs were:

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, and/or emotions. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

For more information, contact the Brain Injury Association of America

Resources

Included within this list are pages that contain additional information about brain injuries and Oklahoma. Use the BI resources to gain insight, expand your knowledge, and share experiences with other survivors. Oklahoma On The Web provides a variety of state information ranging from cafés to universities. Use the government pages as an easy reference to government representatives, let's use this to keep them informed about brain injuries and the needs of survivors!


The Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma does not support, endorse or recommend any method, treatment, or program for brain injured persons. We only try to inform you, believing you have the right to know what is available. No endorsement is intended or implied.


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Brain Injury Support Resources

The TBI Chat Room has daily meeting at 7:30pm EST and 9pm EST. It's for Caregivers, Survivors and friends. Java Browser access at http://www.webbernet.net/~sagasha
mIRC and Netscape Chat access settings 206.137.186.226 port 6667

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Additional Resources Related to Brain Injuries, Safety and Prevention
The Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma does not support, endorse or recommend any method, treatment, or program for brain injured persons. We only try to inform you, believing you have the right to know what is available. No endorsement is intended or implied.

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Government Internet Resources

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Oklahoma Internet Resources

 

 

 

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