What Are The Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injury’s consequences range from mild to severe. A patient with a concussion may suffer from temporary disorientation and then recover quickly. However, traumatic brain injury can bring long-term changes and/or impairment to sensation, language, emotion, and thought processes. TBI victims are at greater risk for amnesia, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders after their injury; they may also experience long-term cumulative effects of slight brain injuries sustained over a long period of time. The CDC estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans are permanently disabled due to traumatic brain injury; the total cost in terms of productivity and medical costs was an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.
