What We Do > Brain Injured Adults
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability among adults in the United States. Each year, an estimated 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI. That's about 8 times the number of people diagnosed with breast cancer and 34 times the number of people of HIV/AIDS each year. As a consequence:
- 50,000 people die each year.
- 230,000 people are hospitalized annually and survive.
- 80,000 to 90,000 people experience the onset of long-term disability each year.
- The cumulative result is that today an estimated 5.3 million people - 2% of the U.S. population - are living with a permanent TBI-related disability.
The risk is highest among adolescents, young adults, and persons older than 75 years. The risk to males is twice the risk to females. The major causes of TBI are:
- Motor vehicle crashes account for 50% of all TBIs and the leading cause of TBI resulting in hospitalization.
- Violence, especially suicidal behavior and assaults that involve firearms-the leading cause of TBI-related death.
- Falls-the leading cause of TBI among the elderly.
These injuries have both short term and long term effects on individuals, their families, and society and the financial cost is enormous. TBIs requiring hospitalization cost the nation about $56.3 billion each year. Approximately 1 in 4 adults with TBI is unable to return to work one year after injury. The financial cost is only part of the burden. The long-term impairments and disabilities associated with TBI are grave and the full human cost is incalculable.
What About A Cure?
Sadly, there is no cure for a brain injury. Recovering from a brain injury relies on the brain's plasticity, the brain's ability for other areas of the brain to take over the functions for the damaged areas, and on hard work from the patient and the rehabilitation team to strengthen the remaining abilities to maximize functionality.
Medical treatments and procedures do continue to improve and doctors have been able to increase the survival rates for brain injury victims. Some new drugs and procedures, which have to be employed quickly after the injury, are aimed at limiting the secondary damage caused by brain swelling and brain cell death that exacerbate the initial injury. In a longer-term outlook, stem cells may hold some promise for actually repairing areas of brain damage. Yet, even with all the advances, relatively little is known about the body's most complex organ.
If you or a loved one has been injured from as a result of a brain injury there is a legal deadline for filing these lawsuits, so call NOW toll free 1-888-888-3773. The consultation and call are FREE.