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[Jim Wahl]

What is a traumatic brain injury?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from "mild," i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to "severe," i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.

Traumatic Brain Injury Facts:

How many people have TBI?

Of the 1.7 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:

52,000 die;
275,000 are hospitalized; and
1.365 million are treated and released from an emergency department.1

The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.

(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Traumatic brain injury: hope through research. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health; 2002 Feb. NIH Publication No. 02-158. Available from: www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm.)