Brain Injury

A head injury when it involves an injury to the brain is often categorised by doctors as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to distinguish it from an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Brain tumours can also cause ABI as they grow and damage the brain tissues.

Depending on the extent of damage caused to the brain and resulting symptoms, these injuries are categorised as mild, severe or moderate. It is common sense that you should seek medical assistance immediately should you suspect symptoms of brain injury. A delay in seeking medical help could prove to be fatal.

Symptoms of an injured brain

Mild injury symptoms include: feeling light headed, loss of consciousness for a while, blurred vision, a nasty taste in the mouth, ringing in the ears, feeling tired even with little or no activity, difficulty remembering, thinking or concentrating, and a change in sleeping pattern.

Moderate and severe injury symptoms include: tremors or seizures, prolonged severe headaches, constant nausea or vomiting, notable dilation of one or both pupils, slow and inconsistent speech, confusion, lack of concentration and co-ordination, and agitation for no reason.

How is brain injury diagnosed and treated?

Depending on the severity of the injury, neck and skull X-rays may be performed to check for instability and fractures of the spine in moderate and mild cases, while a CT scan will be performed in cases of severe head injury Treatment can involve surgery to remove any objects which caused the injury and to repair any damage to the brain tissue. Surgery is often needed to relieve pressure on the brain caused by swollen tissues and blood trapped inside the skull. Any later rehabilitation, whether psychological or physical, depends on the brain injury severity and varies from patient to patient.

Long term problems associated with brain injury.

Even after someone recovers from an initial acute injury, they might go on to develop the following conditions which are associated with brain trauma:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD).

• Dementia pugilistica.

• Parkinson's disease.

• Post-traumatic dementia.

• Other motor problems.

• Epilepsy or.

• Pseudobulbar affect (PBA).

Dealing with someone with brain injury.

Depending on the severity, a patient can relatively quickly or over a prolonged period of time, while others may remain in a coma or vegetative state. When dealing with a person recovering from an injury to their brain, it is important to be patient. Caregivers and their family need to understand that the person may have difficulty expressing themselves or might not even remember them or things due to memory loss.