Types of Brain Damage
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Brain damage, or brain injury, refers to the destruction or loss of brain cells due to an outside force or condition. Brain injuries are categorized into two divisions. Brain damage can either be traumatic or acquired. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a physical incident such as a fall, accident, or assault. Acquired brain injury (ABI) is caused by a disease or a medical condition.
Traumatic Brain Damage
Traumatic brain damage, medically known as traumatic brain injury, is the result of physical trauma to the brain. According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the most common causes of TBI are falls at 35.2 percent, Motor vehicle accidents at 17.3 percent, being struck by or against an object at 16.5 percent, assault at 10 percent, and others at 21 percent. In total, over 1.7 million new cases of traumatic brain injury occur each year.
TBI is subdivided into several categories:
• Concussion – Concussions are the most common type of traumatic brain injury. A concussion is considered a minor type of TBI that involves a temporary loss of brain activity. Repeated or severe concussions can cause permanent symptoms and disability.
• Contusion – A contusion is another term for a bruise. When the brain acquires a contusion, it can cause serious medical problems, the worst of which is continued hemorrhaging.
• Penetration – A penetrating brain injury is when a physical object goes through the skull and impacts directly with the brain. This type of injury is often caused by bullets, knives, and motor vehicle accidents.
• Contrecoup – This type of brain injury occurs as a result of an impact. The impact causes the brain to hit the inside of the skull, and the resulting reaction causes the brain to subsequently bounce against the other side of the skull.
• Diffuse Axonal – A diffuse axonal brain injury occurs as a result of sudden shaking or twisting of the head.
Acquired Brain Damage
Acquired brain damage, medically known as acquired brain injury, is the result of a disease or medical condition. Cancer, meningitis, and stroke can all cause acquired brain damage. The symptoms of ABI are caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. The two types of ABI are categorized as to how much oxygen is getting to the brain. Anoxia is a term for acquired brain damage caused by no oxygen at all getting to the brain. Hypoxia is a term for acquired brain damage caused by a severe lack of oxygen to the brain.
Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, has not reviewed or edited this article, and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.
