Brain Injury Frequently Asked Questions & Facts

• What is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
  Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is also known as a brain injury. It is an injury to the brain most often caused by external force the the skull.

• What makes a brain injury "traumatic?"
  Usually, a 'traumatic' brain injury is caused by external force to the skull. Other causes of brain injuries (aneurysms, brain tumors, etc.) are not classified as 'traumatic.'

• What causes a TBI?
  The most common causes of TBI are motor vehicle crashes and falls, but they can be anything that causes the head to abruptly strike a solid object and the brain to hit the interior wall of the skull. Other causes are: physical assaults (such as gunshot wounds and child abuse) and sports/recreational injuries.

• What are the consequences of TBI?
  TBI varies in severity from mild to severe. People who experience a mild injury very often appear fine yet can have some lingering effects that impact their ability to resume their normal responsibilities at home, work, or school. They may exhibit difficulties with: concentration, organization, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, memory, relationships with family, business associates, friends, and/or personality changes.
  People whose injuries are considered to be moderate or severe, exhibit varying degrees of difficulty in cognition (thinking), emotional, behavioral, physical and social areas. They may suffer permanent disabilities, which affect their returning to a pre-injury lifestyle.

• Why is TBI called "The Silent Epidemic?"
  TBI has been referred to as "The Silent Epidemic" because of the staggering number of people who are injured each year and the lack of public awareness about its consequences. Please see our Statistics Page for more information regarding this area.

Facts

• Every 15 seconds an American suffers a brain injury.

• Throughout the U.S. there are 500,000 new cases of TBI expected each year. An estimated 56,000 lives are lost annually as a result of TBIs.

• Injury is the leading cause of mortality among Americans under 45 years of age, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is responsible for the majority of these deaths.

• Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of TBI, accounting for 50% of all injuries - and alcohol is involved in 50% of all automobile accidents.

• Each severe survivor of brain injury requires between $4.1 and $9 million dollars in care over a lifetime.

• The direct and indirect costs associated with TBI is estimated to be $37.8 billion per year.

• The typical survivor of serious brain injury requires between 5 and 10 years of intensive rehabilitation.

• Only one in twenty brain injury survivors receives rehabilitative care.

• With appropriate rehabilitation, 25% of severe brain injury survivors are capable of resuming a relatively productive life.

• Studies on TBI mortality rates indicated that between 19.3 to 22.5 per 100,000 population die each year as a result of TBI.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are 102 TBIs for every 100,000 in the U.S.

• 25% to 40% of abused children suffer traumatic brain injuries.