Moderate to Severe TBI
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Epidemiology Moderate to Severe TBI
Each year, approximately 1.9 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries
(TBI). Estimates vary, but it is thought that for every 100,000 injured, 200
will be children. Five percent of those injuries will result in death, 14% will
be moderate to severe and the remainder will fit into the mild category. TBI is
the most common cause of acquired disability in the pediatric population, with
two peak incidence: below age five and mid-to-late adolescence. TBI occurs most
frequently in the 14-24 age range and in individuals 75 and older. Males are
injured at twice the rate of females. For more detailed information about the
epidemiology of pediatric TBI, please see Kraus (1995) or Kraus, Rock and
Hemyari (1990).
CAUSES OF PEDIATRIC TBI
The causes of TBI in children vary with age. In infancy to early childhood,
falls and bicycle/pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents are the most frequent
causes of injury (Kraus, 1987). While estimates vary, child abuse is viewed as a
frequent cause of TBI in infants ("shaken baby syndrome") (Duhaime, Christian,
Rorke and Zimmerman, 1998). By late childhood and into early adolescence,
TBI sustained via motor vehicle and sports/recreational accidents become more
frequent and severe.