The following information was obtained from The Brain Injury Association of America

An estimated 5.3 million Americans - a little more than 2 percent of the U.S. population - currently live with disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury.¹ 

Every 21 seconds, One person in the U.S. sustains a Traumatic Brain Injury

Injury to the brain which is not hereditary, congenital or degenerative that has occurred after birth.  (Includes anoxia, aneurysms, infections to the brain and stroke.)

-- 1.5 Million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year.¹

-- Each year, 80,000 Americans experience the onset of long-term disability following TBI.¹

-- More than 50,000 people die every year as a result of TBI.¹

--The risk of TBI is highest among adolescents, young adults, and those older than 75.²

--After one brain injury, the risk for a second injury is three times greater; after the second injury, the risk for a third injury is eight times greater.³

The Cost of Brain Injury

The cost of traumatic brain injury in the United States is estimated to be $48.3 billion annually.  Hospitalization accounts for $31.7 billion, and fatal brain injuries cost the nation $16.6 billion each year.⁴

Percentage of TBI Causes⁵
1995-1996 - 11 states*

*Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, South Carolina,
Minnesota, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, Alaska, and California

Transportation - 44%  Falls - 26%  Firearms - 8%  Assaults - 9%  Other - 13%

Vehicle Crashes are the leading cause of brain injury.
Falls are the second leading cause, and leading cause of brain injury in the elderly.

The Consequences of Brain Injury

Cognitive Consequences Can Include:

-Short-term memory loss; long-term memory loss

-Slowed ability to process information

-Trouble concentrating or paying attention for periods of time.

-Difficulty keeping up with a conversation;  other communication difficulties such as word finding problems.

-Spatial disorientation

-Organizational problems and impaired judgment

-Unable to do more than one thing at a time

-A lack of initiating activities, or once started, difficulty in completing tasks without reminders.

Physical Consequences Can Include:

- Seizures of all types

-Muscle spasticity

-Double vision or low vision, even blindness

-Loss of smell or taste

-Speech impairments such as slow or slurred speech

-Headaches or migraines

-Fatigue, increased need for sleep

-Balance problems 

Emotional Consequences Can Include:

Increase anxiety

Depression

Mood swings

Impulsive behavior

More easily agitated

Egocentric behaviors; difficulty seeing how behaviors can affect others

Comparison of Annual Incidence

Sources:

1.  Centers for Disease Control.  "Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States:  A Report to Congress" http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/tibcongress.htm
2.  Analysis by the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, using data obtained from state health departments in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Utah.
3.  Annegers JF, Garbow JD, Kurtland LT et al.  The Incidence, Causes and Secular Trends of Head Trauma in Olstead County, Minnesota 1935-1974.  Neurology.  1980; 30:912-919
4.  Lewin -ICF, The Cost of Disorders of the Brain, Washington DC:  The National Foundation for the Brain, 1992.
5.  Personal Communications with Dr. David Thurman, CDC - National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, June 29, 1999.