A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur as a result of something as serious as a car accident, or innocuous as an awkward fall. All it takes is a sudden movement of the head and brain which causes the brain to bounce or twist in the skull resulting in injured brain cells, broken blood vessels and chemical changes.[1] While not all hits to the head result in TBI, when TBI occurs, it can range in seriousness from mild to severe and can affect people of any age, from infants to adults. According to Brain Injury Canada, TBI is a leading cause of disability globally, with 2% of the Canadian population living with a TBI and 18,000 hospitalizations for TBI each year.[2]
As symptoms of TBI can differ from person to person as a result of the severity of the injury, the type of injury and the area of the brain that is injured, they can often be difficult to recognize. Adding to this difficulty, some symptoms appear immediately after injury, while others may not appear for hours or even days or weeks later.[3] For this reason, it is difficult to gather accurate statistics of TBI despite its prevalence in Canada, as statistics are gathered through hospital and doctor reporting and many brain injuries are not reported at the time of injury, or at all.[4]
With that in mind, it is important to be aware of the symptoms that a person who has sustained a mild TBI may experience. These include any or all of:[5]
- Headache
- Confusion
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Tiredness or sleepiness
- A bad taste in the mouth
- A change in sleep habits (sleeping less or more than usual, difficulty falling asleep)
- Behaviour or mood changes (anxiety or nervousness, irritability or easily angered, feeling more emotional, sadness)
- Trouble with memory, concentration, attention or thinking (foggy or groggy feelings)
- Loss of consciousness lasting a few seconds to minutes
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Nausea or vomiting
Although most traumatic brain injuries are classified as mild due to the fact that they are not life-threatening, a mild traumatic brain injury can nevertheless have serious and long-lasting effects.[6]
Moderate TBI is generally associated with loss of consciousness for over 30 minutes but less than one day and confusion can last for up to one week.[7] With a severe TBI, individuals lose consciousness for over one full day and is typically associated with changes on a head CT or brain MRI.[8]
Where a person has sustained a moderate or severe TBI you may observe symptoms such as:[9]
- Repeated vomiting or nausea
- Headache that gets worse or will not go away
- Slurred speech
- Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs
- Convulsions or seizures
- Problems with thinking and learning
- Loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Enlargement of the pupil of one or both eyes
- Loss of coordination
- Loss of consciousness lasting a few minutes to hours
- Increased confusion, restlessness or agitation.
For infants and young children who may be unable to communicate symptoms such as headaches or confusion, symptoms of a TBI which may be observed include:[10]
- Drowsiness
- Seizures
- Changes in eating or nursing habits
- Persistent crying/inability to be consoled
- Change in sleep habits
- Loss of interest in favourite toys or activities
- Unusual or easy irritability
[1] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2021). Traumatic Brain Injury: What to Know About Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/traumatic-brain-injury-what-know-about-symptoms-diagnosis-and-treatment.
[2] Brain Injury Canada. (2022). Statistics on Brain Injury. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.braininjurycanada.ca/en/statistics-brain-injury#TBI.
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Symptoms of Mild TBI and Concussion. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/concussion/symptoms.html.
[4] Brain Injury Canada. (2022). Statistics on Brain Injury. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.braininjurycanada.ca/en/statistics-brain-injury#TBI.
[5] Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2020). What are Common Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)? Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/tbi/conditioninfo/symptoms
[6] Alzheimer’s Association. (2022). Traumatic Brain Injury. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-dementia/related_conditions/traumatic-brain-injury.
[7] Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Traumatic Brain Injury. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8874-traumatic-brain-injury.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2020). What are Common Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)? Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/tbi/conditioninfo/symptoms
[10] Mayo Clinic. (2021). Traumatic Brain Injury. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20378557.
