Brain injury: causes, symptoms, to treatment

Definition

What is a brain injury?

Brain injuries are all brain-related injuries that affect a person physically, emotionally and attitudes.

An injury results in changes to the neuronal activity of the brain, which in turn affects the physical integrity, metabolic activity, or functional ability of the nerve cells in the brain.

There are two types of injuries according to their cause, namely:

• Traumatic brain injury

This type of injury is a change in brain function or other brain pathology caused by external forces. This condition is divided into two, namely closed (or not penetrating) and open (penetrating).

• Non-traumatic brain injury

This type of injury is a change in brain function or pathology caused by internal factors.

Other types of brain injury

Diffuse axonal injury

This condition can occur due to a strong rotation of the head, such as shaken baby syndrome, or by rotational forces such as a car accident.

Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) or minor brain injury

Concussions can be caused by a direct hit to the head, gunshot wounds, or violent head shaking. Concussions are the most common type of traumatic brain injury.

Bruises

This condition is caused by bruising (bleeding) in the brain due to the force (punch or pounding) of the head.

Coup-Contrecoup injury

This brain injury refers to the appearance of a bruise on the area opposite the trauma site. This type of injury may occur when the intensity of the stroke is so great that it not only bruises but also causes a displacement of the injury site as the brain slams to the opposite side.

Second impact syndrome

This condition occurs when a person experiences a second impact before the previous injury heals. The second injury appears days or weeks from the first. This can lead to brain swelling and damage.

Penetration injury

An open head injury, also known as a penetrating injury, is a brain injury caused by the lining of the head being pierced through by a sharp object. Penetrating injuries commonly occur as a result of knife stabs, bullet shots, or other sharp objects that penetrate the skull and into the brain.

Shaken baby syndrome (shaken baby syndrome)

Abusive head trauma or shaken baby syndrome (shaken baby syndrome) is an act of violence that causes traumatic brain injury. This occurs when someone aggressively shakes the baby.

Locked up syndrome

This is a rare neurological condition in which a person is unable to physically move any part of their body other than through the eye.

Closed head injury

This condition occurs due to a beating that does not cause penetration of the skull. In this injury, the brain is so swollen that it doesn't fit enough for the skull. This causes increased pressure in the skull.

Symptoms

What are the bunches and symptoms of brain injury?

After experiencing a head injury, you will experience several symptoms that indicate brain trauma such as:

• Discharge from the ear or nose
• Loss of consciousness
• Dilation (the middle of the black eye is large and does not shrink in light) or unequal pupil size
• Vision changes (blurred or double vision, can't see bright light, blindness)
• Dizzy
• Balance problems
• Difficulty breathing
• Coma (unable to respond to other people)
• Paralyzed or difficult to move the body
• Weak
• Poor coordination
• Slow pulse
• Slow heart rate, with increased blood pressure
• Gag
• Sluggish
• Headache
• Confusion
• Ringing in the ears or changes in the ability to hear
• Difficulty thinking (difficulty "thinking correctly", memory problems, poor judgment, poor attention)
• Inappropriate emotional response (irritability, irritability, crying or laughing inappropriately)
• Trouble speaking
• Numbness or tingling sensation
• Loss of bladder control

Infants and young children with brain injuries, especially the traumatic type, may be less able to communicate to report headaches, sensory disturbances, confusion, and similar symptoms. In a child with traumatic brain injury, you may notice:

• Changes in eating or breastfeeding habits
• Continuously crying and unable to be comforted
• Unusual irritability or irritability
• Change in ability to pay attention
• Changes in sleeping habits
• A sad or depressed mood
• Loss of interest in playing with favorite toys or activities

When should I go to the doctor?

People who are suspected of having a brain injury should be treated immediately at the nearest hospital's Emergency Unit (UGD) or a specialist surgeon.

See a doctor quickly if you or your child experience any of the symptoms found above.

Seek emergency medical attention if there are signs or symptoms of traumatic brain injury after a recent impact or other traumatic head injury.

Cause

What causes brain injury?

Types of brain injury, namely traumatic and non-traumatic, are distinguished by their cause. The following is a review of the causes behind the condition:

Traumatic brain injury

Common causes of traumatic brain injury, especially head trauma are the following:

• Fall down

Falling out of bed, slipping in the bathroom, taking a wrong step, falling down stairs, and other falls are the most common causes of traumatic brain injury overall, especially in older adults and young children.

• Motor accident

Collisions involving cars, motorbikes, or bicycles — and pedestrians involved in such accidents — are a common cause of traumatic brain injury.

• Violence

About 20 percent of traumatic brain injuries are caused by violence, for example gunshot wounds, domestic violence or child abuse. Shaking baby syndrome is a traumatic brain injury due to strong shocks in the baby that damage brain cells.

• Sports injury

Traumatic brain injury may be caused by injuries from several types of sports, including football, boxing, football, baseball, lacrosse, skateboarding, hockey, and other high-risk or extreme sports, especially at a young age.

• Explosions and injuries from other fights

Explosions are a common cause of traumatic brain injury in serving military personnel. Although the mechanism of damage is not well understood, many researchers believe that the pressure waves that enter through the brain drastically interfere with brain function.

Non-traumatic brain injury

This condition is the result of a disease or condition in the body and is not caused by a blow to the head. The following are common causes of this condition:

• Stroke (main cause)
• Lack of oxygen (drowning or choking)
• Tumor
• Other diseases, such as cancer
• Brain infection or inflammation
• Metabolic disorders
• Drug overdose

Risk factors

What increases the risk of brain injury?

Brain injury can occur as a result of physical trauma such as an accident, childbirth or from other types of injury, such as trauma or illness.

In this type of traumatic brain injury, the people most at risk are:

• Children, especially newborns up to 4 years of age
• Young adults, especially those between the ages of 15 and 24
• Adults aged 75 years and over

According to the Brain Injury Association of America, the five main activities responsible for causing concussions in children and adolescents aged 5-18 years are:

• Cycling
• American football
• Basketball
• Playground activities
• Soccer

Diagnosis

How do doctors diagnose brain injury?

Diagnosing this condition can be done quickly, but it depends on its severity. The medical team may perform tests and examinations in the hospital. This is useful for providing proper care for sufferers.

The following tests may be performed by the medical team for people with brain injury conditions:

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

These injuries are usually emergency as they can quickly become devastating without treatment. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) or the Glasgow Coma Scale is often used to assess head injuries.

This is a scale from 3-15 that identifies how serious the head injury is, based on symptoms and whether the brain has been damaged (with 3 being the most severe and 15 being the mildest).

Glasglow Outcome Scale (GOS)

The Glasglow Outcome Scale (GOS) is a descriptive examination used by the treatment team for this injury condition. GOS can help determine the next steps in treatment, but it is of no use in detecting small, gradual improvements.

If you observe someone being injured or arrive soon after an injury, you may be able to provide medical personnel with information that is useful in assessing the condition of the injured person.

There are five possible descriptive assessments in GOS:

• Death (severe injury or death without recovery of consciousness)
• Vegetative (Severe impairment with prolonged unresponsiveness and reduced mental function)
• Severe disability (severe injury requiring permanent assistance in daily life)
• Moderate disability (Does not require daily assistant)
• Recovery is good (minor damage with minor neurological and psychological deficits)

Some imaging tests that are useful to help diagnose brain injury include:

• Computerized tomography (CT) scan
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Treatment

Just as no two people are exactly alike, brain injuries cannot be synonymous with one another. For some people, this condition is the beginning of a long disease process.

This condition requires a unit of treatment that comes from complete treatment and community-based support provided by the right educated doctor. If you have this condition, your family and loved ones are important factors in treatment.

The following are treatments done to treat this condition:

Hospital treatment

If you experience symptoms of brain injury, you should go to the Emergency Room (UGD) immediately. The medical team will then focus on saving your life by eliminating the possibility of injury and other damage.

If your brain injury is moderate or severe, you need special care at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with media tools, such as a ventilator, to an EKG / EEG machine. This is especially necessary if you are in a coma or are medically unstable.

When you are declared medically stable, you will be transferred to a room with intermediate care, under the ICU. It is likely that you will also go through rehab.

Drug

Treatment for people with brain injury is carefully selected, prescribed and supervised, according to individual conditions. The pharmacist may explain in more detail about the purpose and side effects. Here is an overview of brain injury medications:

• Analgesics can be used for pain relief and pain management
• Anti-anxiety medication for feelings of fear, uncertainty, and nervousness
• Anti-coagulant drugs to prevent blood clots
• Anti-depressant drugs to treat symptoms of depression
• Anti-psychosis drugs to treat psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and sleep disorders.
• Muscle relaxants to reduce muscle spasms or spasticity
• Sedative-hypnotic agents to induce sleep or suppress the central nervous system in areas of mental and physical response, awareness, sleep, and pain
• A stimulant to increase alertness and attention.

People with severe injuries may also have other injuries that need to be addressed. Additional care in the hospital's emergency room or ICU will focus on reducing secondary damage from inflammation, bleeding, or reduced oxygen supply to the brain.

Treatments to limit secondary damage to the brain immediately after injury may include:

• Diuretic

These drugs reduce the amount of fluid in the tissues and increase urine output, helping to reduce pressure in the brain.

• Anti-seizure drugs

People who have had moderate or severe traumatic brain injury are at risk of having seizures during the first week following the injury. Anti-seizure medication may be given during the first week to avoid any additional brain damage that may be caused by the injury. Additional anti-seizure medications are only used if a seizure occurs.

• Coma-inducing drugs

Doctors sometimes use drugs that put people in a temporary coma because the comatose brain needs less oxygen to function.

This medication is especially helpful if the blood vessels, which are compressed by the increased pressure in the brain, are unable to deliver the usual amounts of nutrients and oxygen to the brain cells.

Emergency surgery may be needed to reduce additional damage to brain tissue. Operations may be useful for dealing with the following problems:

• Remove blood clots (hematoma)
• Repairing a cracked skull
• Opens a gap in the skull

How to prevent brain injury

Follow the tips below to reduce traumatic brain injury:

• Seat belts and air bags

Always wear a seat belt in a motor vehicle. Young children should always be seated in the back of the car and kept in a seat that is safe for young children or a seat suitable for their size and weight.

• Alcohol and drug use

Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including prescription drugs, which can interfere with driving ability.

• Helmet

Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle, skateboard, motorcycle, snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle. Also wear proper head protection while playing baseball or contact sports, skiing, skating, snowboarding, or riding a horse.