Frequently Asked Questions.
What is Brain Injury?
A brain injury is often caused by a physical trauma (Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI) such as from a fall or car
accident. A brain injury can also be acquired (Acquired Brain Injury or ABI) from other events such a stroke, or
lack of oxygen to the brain following a heart attack or drowning.
What causes TBI?
The leading causes of TBI are:
- Falls (35.2%)
- Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (17.3%)
- Struck by/against (16.5%)
- Assaults (10%)
* Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones¹.
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
- 1,365,000 million are treated and released from an emergency department¹
* In 2002 there were 33,073 Emergency Department visits for traumatic brain injuries in Massachusetts²
What are the long-term consequences of TBI?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or
lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI.
According to one study, about 40% of those hospitalized with a Traumatic Brain Injury had at least one unmet need for services one year after their injury. The most frequent unmet needs were:
- Improving memory and problem solving
- Managing stress and emotional upsets
- Controlling one's temper
- Improving one's job skills¹
² MA Emergency Department Discharge Database, MA Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, 2002
