Traumatic Brain Injury Causes and Care

Traumatic Brain Injury
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Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can affect individuals of all demographic groups. TBIs have been identified as the leading cause of disabilities and death around the world. They include penetrative injuries, where an object pierces the skull, causing direct damage to the brain, leading to closed-head injuries. TBIs can further be classified as either minor, moderate, or severe. Classification of TBIs is based on various clinical aspects such as severity and duration of consciousness, amnesia, results of brain imaging (MRI or CT), and other neurological symptoms.
Causes of TBIs
           The most common causes of brain injuries include vehicle accidents, sports-related injuries, assault, explosive blasts, and falls (Tenovuo et al., 2021). TBIs manifest themselves in different ways in regards to the brain injury itself. For instance, the brain might get shaken in the skull, which can cause bruises to occur at the points of impact. Such bruises are also known as contusions. The swelling usually heals after a short while. Not all TBIs are necessarily caused by a direct blow to the head. For example, when an individual suffers from whiplash, the head is rapidly and forcefully twisted back and forth, resulting in the stretching or severing of interconnecting fibers in the brain. When these fibers are damaged, normal brain activities are interrupted. In cases where the blood vessels around the brain are damaged, bleeding occurs between the skull and the brain. Such situations can be categorized as brain injuries depending on their severity. Lastly, exposure to rapid changes in pressure causes brain damage (Georges & Das, 2014). An example of such a case is the under-pressurization and over-pressurization waves during an explosion.
Complications
           Traumatic brain injuries can lead to several complications depending on the severity of the injury. These complications can be categorized into altered consciousness and physical complications. Moderate or severe TBIs may cause ...