When an unexpected external physical attack harms the brain, it is known as traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is among the leading causes of adult disability and mortality. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a general term used to represent a wide range of brain injuries. There are two types of brain damage: diffuse occurs throughout the brain) and localized (limited to one location. A brain injury can range in severity from a minor concussion to serious damage that puts the victim in a coma or even kills them.

Which TBI subtypes are there?

There are two possible ways that brain damage occurs:

ü Closed brain injury

When there is no skull fracture and a non-penetrating brain injury, the condition is known as closed brain injury. A quick forward or backward movement and shaking of the brain inside the bone skull can produce a closed brain injury, which causes blood vessels and brain tissue to break and bruise. Car crashes falls, and, increasingly, sports-related incidents are the main causes of closed brain injuries. This kind of harm can also be caused by shaking a baby.

ü Penetrating brain injury 

When a bullet pierces the brain or there is another breach in the skull, the injury is known as an open head injury or penetrating.

TBI Causes and Symptoms

TBI is frequently brought on by a blow, jolt, explosion, or other impact to the head, as well as by a penetrating head injury that impairs normal brain function. TBIs are not always the consequence of head trauma. However, traumatic brain injury symptoms can range in severity from minor such as a momentary shift in mental state or awareness to severe such as prolonged unconsciousness or significant issues with thought and behaviour following damage.

Three out of every four TBIs that occur annually, or around 75% of them, are moderate. A person’s brain has been harmed if they have traumatic brain injury symptoms following a head injury. There is usually some degree of brain damage, even in mild TBIs.

Among the Signs of a Moderate TBI Are:

• Headache
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Ringing in the ears
• Memory impairment
• Blurred vision
• Behavioral changes

More Symptoms Associated with Moderate and Severe TBI Include:

• Repeated vomiting or nausea
• Slurred speech
• Weakness in the arms or legs
• Problems with thinking and learning

See your healthcare professional if you have any queries regarding traumatic brain injury. As soon as possible, anyone exhibiting symptoms of a traumatic brain injury should see a doctor.

Treatment

Serious traumatic brain injuries need months of inpatient rehabilitation and specialized medical care. However, the majority of traumatic brain injuries are modest, and they may be treated with an ER visit, a brief hospital stays for observation, or at-home monitoring, followed, if necessary, by outpatient therapy.

Depending on the type of dementia identified, a person with a history of traumatic brain injury will have a different course of treatment. Treatment plans for Alzheimer’s disease or any other particular kind of dementia are the same for those who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or not.

Formal clinical criteria for diagnosing and treating traumatic brain injury symptoms are still lacking. Thus, academics and medical professionals are still exploring the effects of TBI on cognition. Numerous significant research projects are underway to learn more about the patterns of damage and alterations in the brain associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to provide fresh approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.