In the 15 seconds it takes to read these statistics, one person in the United States will sustain a traumatic brain injury. Males aged 14 to 24 are at the highest risk, followed by infants and the elderly. Males are twice as likely as females to sustain a TBI due to differences in risk exposure and lifestyle. According to the National Pediatric Trauma Registry, more than 30,000 children sustain permanent disabilities as a result of brain injuries. Mid-afternoons to early evenings, weekends, and the summer months are the times when a TBI is most likely to be suffered.
Children are especially at risk in the afternoon hours, once they are dismissed from school.
Overall, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of TBI, accounting for 50 percent of these injuries. Falls are the second leading cause, accounting for more than 20 percent of all traumatic brain injuries. Alcohol and drugs of abuse are a significant factors in the occurrence of TBI, as more than 50 percent of persons with brain injury were intoxicated at the time of injury. The physical consequences may include seizures, muscle spasticity, speech impairment, headaches, reduced endurance, and a loss of vision, hearing, smell or taste. Psycho-social, behavioral and emotional consequences may include fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, depression, difficulty with emotional control and anger management, and excessive laughing and crying.