Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - Definition, Epidemiology, Pathophysiology Author: Segun T Dawodu, MD, JD, MBA, FAAPMR, FAANEM, CIME, DipMI(RCSed), Former Clinical Instructor, Mount Sinai Medical School; Current Director, Pain and Injuries Rehabilitation Services, PMRehab Pain and Sports Medicine Associates Contributor Information and Disclosures Updated: Mar 30, 2009

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Introduction

Definition

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a nondegenerative, noncongenital insult to the brain from an external mechanical force, possibly …ver más…

Among children aged 0-14 years, an estimated 475,000 TBIs occur each year.5 Rates are higher among children aged 0-4 years. Death and hospitalization rates are highest among black children aged 0-9 years, compared with whites, in TBIs related to motor vehicle accidents (MVAs).

Prevalence and incidence

The prevalence (ie, the existing cases at any given time) of TBI is not well documented, because most cases (ie, mild TBI) are not fatal, and patients may not have been hospitalized. Estimates often are based on existing disabilities.

Estimates by the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Rehabilitation of Persons with TBI showed that 2.5-6.5 million Americans live with TBI-related disabilities.

A National Health Interview Survey estimated that annually, 1.9 million persons sustain a skull fracture or intracranial injury, with such trauma making up approximately 1% of all injuries.

That incidence of mild TBI is about 131 cases per 100,000 people, the incidence of moderate TBI is about 15 cases per 100,000 people, and the incidence of severe TBI is approximately 14 cases per 100,000 people. The inclusion of prehospital deaths increases the last figure to 21 cases per 100,000 people.

Differences in rates in various parts of the United States may be attributable to differences in the methods of case verification and in