Journalists: See bottom of this post for video and audio resources.
Though researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the long-term effects of head injury, few studies have looked at the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in all age groups, including males and females, taking into account both mild and serious events. In a recent study published in Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic researchers applied a new, refined system for classifying injuries caused by force to the head and found that the incidence of traumatic brain injury is likely greater than has been estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Even mild traumatic brain injuries can affect sensory-motor functions, thinking and awareness, and communication,” says study author Allen Brown, M.D., director of brain rehabilitation research at Mayo Clinic. “In assessing frequency, we have likely been missing a lot of cases. This is the first population-based analysis to determine prevalence along the whole spectrum of these injuries.”
Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, the team determined that TBIs occur in as many as 558 per 100,000 people, compared to the 341 per 100,000 estimated by the CDC. Researchers found that 60 percent of injuries fell outside the standard categorization used by the CDC, even though two-thirds of them were symptomatic.
Click here to view the entire news release.
Journalists; The following video and audio clips with Dr. Allen Brown are available for download and use in your stories.
Broll of Dr. Brown: MOV
Below is an edited YouTube video of Dr. Brown discussing the study. You may embed it with your story.
Excellent work Dr. Brown etal.
Dr. Brown,
You are the best! You are one of the most caring and supportive doctors. You have been a huge part of my husband’s life, (who has a TBI), and also mine (wife) as well. As my husband continues on with this journey, I know he is in the best of hands!!!
http://newsblog.mayoclinic.org/2012/02/14/traumatic-brain-injuries-are-likely-more-common-than-previously-thought/
Since I read this I’ve been curious as to statistics for TBI and Severe brain trauma. It appears, in North America, each year there are 200 brain injuries at all levels of severity in every 100,000 people, and mortality from these occurs in approximately 11% of these injuries. Roughly 6 out of 10 of these are caused by motor vehicle accidents (and yes, seatbelts do reduce this number) and all levels of brain injury can have lifelong negative effects. Pretty sobering. I guess what gets me is that most of the time, you can’t see a brain injury occurance. Just makes what Dr. Brown says all the more sobering to me. Just so you know, I found the above stats on this frequently asked questions about brain injury page.