Traumatic Brain Injuries, or TBI’s, are, just like any other serious health problems, incredibly scary and tragic. They affect not only the victim, but their families as well. Though the victim has physical limitations as a result of the injury, these freak occurrences also affect the victim and families mentally and emotionally, and can be there without you even knowing it’s there.
Annually, it is estimated that at least 1.7 million TBIs occur, at first, as an isolated injury, or along with other injuries, which make it look like a normal concussion. About 75% of TBIs start off as concussions. So always take precaution if you sustain any sort of injury to your head.
30.5% of all injury-related deaths come from TBIs. That is over a third of all injury-related deaths!
TBIs are caused most by falls (Roughly 35.2% according to the CDC), with Motor vehicle accidents being the second most contributor to TBIs with 17.3%. TBIs can be prevented by taking the necessary safety measures, like wearing hard hats on construction sites, wearing a helmet when riding a bike or motorcycle, and wearing a seatbelt every time you drive or ride in a car.
Those who are most likely to sustain a TBI are between the ages of 0 and 4, 15 and 19, and adults 65 and older. Approximately 474,000 emergency room visits because of TBIs were made by children 0-14 years old, while adults 75 years old and older have the highest rates of hospitalization and death as a result of a TBI.
Men have a higher rate of TBIs than Women, with boys between the ages of 0 and 4 having the most emergency room visits to be checked out for a possible TBI.
Both direct and indirect medical costs have totaled roughly $76.5 billion in the past.
So please, if you are ever in an accident where you suffer a hit on the head, and you are concerned there is damage, do not hesitate to get it checked out by a doctor. Your attentiveness to the injury could save your life.
You can help spread awareness and show your support for those affected by a Traumatic Brain Injury with our selection of TBI Awareness t-shirts and gifts. Click image below to shop now.
