It's not obvious to the naked eye! It's TBI!

IT’S NOT OBVIOUS TO THE NAKED EYE! IT’S TBI!
Traumatic Brain Injury is one of the significant health concerns worldwide and by the year 2020 it is predicted to be one of the leading causes of death and disability.

What is TBI?
“Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a non-degenerative, non-congenital insult to the brain from an external mechanical force, possibly leading to permanent or temporary impairment of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functions, with an associated diminished or altered state of consciousness.”

Causes :
Road Traffic accidents contribute to 60% of TBI cases, followed by falls and violence 30% and 10% respectively.

Low and Middle income countries (LMIC) face rapid economic transition with increase in motorization, urbanization, non-communicable diseases, including accidents and injuries, are becoming major cause of mortality and morbidity.
LMIC have greater risk factors for TBI yet they do not have proper health care system to deal with the health consequences.
Significant disability associated with TBI places a great burden on health sector and economy of such countries, therefore knowledge and awareness of TBI, its epidemiology and the development of preventive measures to alleviate this burden is vital, particularly in limited resource settings.

Asia has the highest percentage of TBI related outcomes as a result of falls (77%) and unintentional injuries (57%)



The impact of TBI is much worse in Pakistan and is continuously on rise.

The results of a study done in Pakistan from 2009-2011 reveals the most commonly affected age group was 21 to 30 years (34.1%), with a male to female ratio of 3.3:1.

Causes :
Injuries were caused by
RTA (62.6%)
falls (31.7%) and
assault (5.5%).

Among those who suffered in RTA , less than 1% of victims were wearing proper safety equipment.

Most common CT scan findings were:
Contusion (14.1%)
Traumatic sub-arachnoid hemorrhage (7.1%)
subdural hematoma (7.6%)
extra-dural hematoma (5.8%)
depressed skull fracture (4.6%)

Preventive Measures:
Because Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) cannot be cured, steps must be taken to prevent an injury from occurring. Advice for the prevention of TBI is often common sense.

TBI Prevention Methods Include:

   §  Wearing a seat belt in a motor vehicle ALWAYS!

   §  Using appropriate child safety.

   §  Never drive when taking medicines that impair road alertness.

   §  Always wear a helmet on open unrestrained vehicles.

   §  Don’t travel on top of the local buses or hanging by the door.

   §  Wear a helmet when participating in contact sports.

Fall Prevention Methods:

     §  Using stairway rails.

     §  Adequate lighting, especially on stairs for people with poor vision or who have difficulty walking.

     §  Place bars on windows to prevent children from falling.

     §  Sit on safe stools.

     §  Remove obstacles from pathways

 "HEALTH IS BY CHOICE, NOT BY CHANCE"

 

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