The number of Americans living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is growing, according to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI) believes the following issues will have a profound impact on the nearly 200,000 Michigan residents who have suffered a TBI and the many more who may suffer one in the future.
New Centers for Disease Control Statistics
While the incidence of TBI as a result of motor vehicle accidents has decreased, the number of TBI overall is increasing. An estimated 1.7 million TBI-related deaths, hospitalizations and emergency department visits occur in the U.S. each year, compared to a reported 1.4 million in 2004. TBI is now a contributing factor in almost a third (30.5 percent) of all injury-related deaths in the country, or about 52,000 deaths annually. In Michigan, that translated to 1,557 deaths in 2005. Falls are now the leading cause of TBI, generating almost 40 percent of TBI-related emergency department visits. This is compared to 1996 when vehicle accidents were the primary source of TBI. Go to www.cdc.gov/tbi for more information.
Sports Concussion
According to the CDC, older adolescents aged 15-19 are the third-most likely age group to sustain a TBI (behind children 0-4 and senior citizens 75 and older), at least partially because of their participation in high school sports. Because of the potential severity of sports concussions, the National Football League has led the charge on raising awareness on this issue, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) has introduced new policies regarding sports concussions and athletes' post-concussion return to play. These rules have already taken effect in time for the start of the fall sports season. The BIAMI is partnering with the MHSAA in educating parents and student-athletes on how to avoid the potentially serious effects of sports concussions.
Traumatic Brain Injury a Signature Wound of the War on Terror
The military has estimated that 115,000 troops have suffered traumatic brain injuries since the beginning of the current conflicts. However, top Army officials have acknowledged that those statistics are likely an underestimate of the true number of servicemen and women who have suffered one of the signature wounds of the War on Terror. The number could be closer to 360,000, with many TBI caused by improvised explosive devices.
Michael Dabbs, president of BIAMI, has been invited to be a panelist at a conference hosted by the Military Officers Association of America and the U.S. Naval Institute on September 10, 2010 in Washington, D.C. The conference, titled "A New Normal: How is the War Within Transforming our Force and Families?" is expected to draw more than 500 key leaders from Congress, the Executive Branch, and the media. This invitation to present follows his first appearance in Washington where he testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs regarding the current state of treatment for veterans who have sustained a TBI. Dabbs commented on the limitations of the current capacity of VA facilities in comparison to the level of treatment needed by soldiers with a brain injury. Dabbs suggested that the committee create a pilot study in Michigan that utilizes the extensive continuum of care of Michigan's Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities-accredited brain injury rehabilitation providers. Additionally, he urged the VA to address concerns regarding lack of adequate veteran treatment. Dabbs' full testimony is available at www.biami.org under News & Announcements.
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