According to Brain Line, an estimated 2.8 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually. Of these, 50,000 die, while 282,000 are hospitalized. However, 2.5 million, nearly 90%, are treated and released from an emergency department. A TBI can be classified as mild (concussion), moderate, or severe, with each displaying symptoms that indicate their severity. A TBI should never be ignored, not even a bump on the head, because it affects how the brain works. So, what causes a TBI, how are symptoms recognized, and when does an injury become a medical emergency?
Click through and get your head around the facts.