This column has been written by medical specialists at Apollo Hospitals India. This is a health awareness initiative of AsiaMed Connect in partnership with Apollo Hospitals India and with the cooperation of The Independent in Bangladesh. For free online medical consultation readers may send emails to [email protected].     

In the current time, where there is an upsurge in the cases of communicable diseases such as swine flu, dengue, etc., there is a substantial increase in the number of deaths, hospitalization, disabilities due to injuries. Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, disability that contributes to over 1,00,000 deaths every year in India. The most common age group affected is 21-40 years. TBI’s are mainly due to accidents.
Traumatic brain injury/Head Injury is caused by a blow or other traumatic injury to the head. The degree of damage can depend on several factors, including the nature of the event and the force of impact. It can happen at any age – a significant fall, motor vehicle crash or sports injury that resulting from concussion, skull fracture, blood clot or bleeding in the brain. Experts have substantiated that damage to an injury increases with ensuing minutes, hours and days. Consequently, the early and appropriate management of TBI is critical to the survival of these patients.
The signs and symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury involve physical, cognitive and mental symptoms. Some of the symptoms are loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes, headache, nausea or vomiting, fatigue or drowsiness, loss of balance, sensory problems, such as blurred vision, ringing in the ears, a bad taste in the mouth or changes in the ability to smell, sensitivity to light or sound, memory or concentration problems or mood swings, water discharge from nose and ear.
Treatment
The treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury depends on its severity. Mild traumatic brain injuries usually require no treatment other than rest and over-the-counter pain relievers to treat a headache. However, a person with a mild traumatic brain injury usually needs to be monitored closely at home for any persistent, worsening or new symptoms. People with severe injuries may have other injuries that need to be addressed immediately. Additional treatments in the emergency room or intensive care unit of a hospital will focus on minimizing secondary damage due to inflammation, bleeding or reduced oxygen supply to the brain.
Most patients with head injury are managed conservatively without surgical intervention. Surgery may be done in cases where there is a large clot causing significant pressure, or there is severe swelling of the brain, which cannot be controlled with other means.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is an important part of the recovery process for a TBI patient. During the acute stage, moderately to severely injured patients may receive treatment and care in an intensive care unit of a hospital. Once stable, the patient may be transferred to a sub acute unit of the medical center or to an independent rehabilitation hospital. At this point, patients follow many diverse paths toward recovery because there are a wide variety of options for rehabilitation.
Prevention
Wearing a proper fitted helmet while riding a bike or bicycle can reduce the risk of brain injury during a fall or collision. But wearing a right helmet is more important than mere wearing a helmet for the sake of it. Do not indulge in drunken driving and follow traffic and
safety rules while driving to be on a safer side.