Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the US:

·          50,000 die;
·          235,000 are hospitalized; and
·          1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department

The leading causes of TBI are:

·          Falls (28%)
·          Motor vehicle-traffic crashes (20%)
·          Struck by/against (19%)
·          Assaults (11%)
·          And blasts are the leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel in war zones

Who is at highest risk for TBI?

·          Males are about 1.5 times more likely as females to sustain a TBI
·          The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds.
·          Certain military duties (e.g. paratrooper) increase the risk of sustaining a TBI
·          African Americans have the highest death rate from TBI

What are the costs of TBI?

Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of TBI totaled an estimated $56.3 billion in the United States in 1995. (Imagine what it must be now!)

What are the long-term consequences of TBI?

·          The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of TBI.

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, sensation, language, and/or emotions, as well as physical challenges.