Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Cerebrum Health Centers
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Has your child recently suffered a traumatic brain injury? Every year, 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury, and over half a million of those injured are children. Approximately 564,000 children visit the emergency room as the result of a traumatic brain injury. As a parent or caregiver, it’s only natural to feel concerned about the health of your child. It can be scary to watch your child take a fall or absorb a hit, especially if it results in disorientation or a nasty bump on the head. Should you take them to the emergency room? Should you keep them awake all night Is there something else you should be doing that hasn’t occurred to you? Let me start off by easing your fears. In most cases, a child who’s sustained a traumatic brain injury will completely recover. However, there are a few things you need to know and follow up on in case your child receives this type of injury. Let’s discuss that now.
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury is when the brain hits against the skull violently enough to cause a physical injury to the brain. There are different levels of traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Let’s take a look at them below:
Mild TBI – Most concussions fall into this group. The effects of a mild TBI wear off after 30 minutes or less, and those who received this injury may not even experience a loss of consciousness.
Moderate TBI – This type of TBI features a loss of consciousness for 30 minutes or more.
Severe TBI - Those who suffer from this injury may lose consciousness for 24 hours or longer.
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Who is Affected Most by Traumatic Brain Injury? While we often associate concussions with professional sports, the groups most likely to sustain a traumatic brain injury are children between the ages 0 to 19, and adults over the age of 65+.Those who suer from this injury may lose consciousness for 24 hours or longer. Males are twice as likely as females to receive this type of brain injury.
Here are a Few Scary Statistics About Traumatic Brain Injury TBI is responsible for approximately one-third of all injury-related death. 52,000 people die annually as a result of TBI. Assault is the leading cause of brain injury-related death for children under the age of five.
What Causes Traumatic Brain Injury? The leading cause of TBI is fall. Across all age groups, approximately 40% of all TBI reported cases are from a fall. But for children age 0 to 14, over half (55%) of TBI incidents are caused by falls. The next leading cause of TBI is accidental blunt force trauma. This can happen if your child is hit by an object, like a ball. Motor vehicle accidents make up over 14% of TBI incidents. Motor vehicle accidents also lead to more deaths than any other cause of TBI . Other ways to receive TBI is ge ing hit in the head or body on accident or through deliberate assault. For those in the military, exposure to blasts can lead to TBI .
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Unfortunately, 3% of traumatic brain injuries in children under the age of 15 are the result of physical abuse.
Here’s What You Need to Know About Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Head to the Emergency Room If you suspect that your child has suffered TBI, visit the nearest emergency room. Although most TBIs are non-life threatening, it’s important that a physician performs a thorough checkup on your child to look for any serious warning signs.
Rest and Recover After your child has been cleared by a physician, follow a plan of rest and recovery. Not only does this include rest from vigorous physical activities, but mental activities that require concentration and focus.
Long Term Effects of TBI in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children I n children, traumatic brain injury can affect all areas of behavior and learning. Depending on the injury, these symptoms can be mild and temporary or they could result in long-lasting disabilities. TBI can impact your child’s ability in the following areas: Attention deficiency
Balance Communication
Comprehension Fatigue
Hearing Learning in general Memory
Paralysis Paying attention
Additionally, your child may suffer from the following impairments: Anxiety
Depression Lack of judgment Lack of motivation Low self-esteem Mood swings Restlessness
Self-centeredness
One Brain Injury Makes You More Vulnerable I f your child sustains a traumatic brain injury, he or she is three times more likely to sustain a second traumatic brain injury. And if your child gets a second TBI , he or she is eight times more likely to get a third TBI .
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children The likelihood of subsequent injury rises exponentially with each TBI occurrence. Your child should avoid activities that could lead to further brain injury because she or he is now more susceptible to it.
How to Prevent Brain Injury in Children
Wear Helmets The leading cause of bicycle-related deaths is due to head injury. However, wearing a helmet has been proven to prevent 85% of TBI deaths.
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children
Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Wear Seat Belts Many TBI s result from car accidents. Be sure that your child is properly secured with a selt belt. Younger children should always sit in the back seat to avoid injury from deployed airbags. Based on age and weight, you may need to also use a booster, or child safe, seat. Childproof Your Home Create an environment that is safe, which includes adding a nonslip mat to the bathtub, properly securing area rugs, installing indow guards to deter falls, and placing skid-proof flooring on the stairs.
What Should You Do if Your Child Suffers a Traumatic Brain Injury? The long term effects of brain injury in children may not be immediately obvious. Because the brain of a child is still growing, some injuries may take years to present themselves, and can dramatically affect your child’s ability to develop on course. An inability to accurately process information and make sound judgment may not be obvious for years after the initial TBI . This is why you must take recovery seriously.
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Traumatic Brain Injury in Children