Acquired Head Injuries an Increasing Source of Headache?
The Centers for Disease Control have recently released updated information regarding traumatic brain injury. From this data, the leading cause of TBI was unintentional falls, and the second most common cause was due to motor vehicle-traffic injury. Motor vehicle-related injury was the primary cause of death due to head injury, and was more common in men.
Groups at highest risk were children from birth to age four, and adults aged 75 years and older. Adolescents aged 15-19 years were at somewhat increased risk over other groups. In all age ranges, males were more affected by TBI than were females.
The direct medical costs in addition to the indirect costs of TBI, from things such as lost productivity in the workplace, totaled an estimated $60 billion in the US in 2000. With the rate of TBI increasing, these costs will also increase accordingly.
Consensus has been reached that headache is common in the initial phases of MTBI. Thus, an increase in the rate of posttraumatic headache can be expected if the rate of TBI is increasing.
References:
1 Faul M, Xu L, Wald MM, Coronado VG. Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations and Deaths 2002–2006. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2010.
2 Carroll LJ, Cassidy JD, Peloso PM, Borg J. von Holst H, Holm L, Paniak C, Pepin M. Prognosis for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Results of the WHO Collaborating Centre Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. J Rehabil Med 2004; Suppl. 43: 84–105.
3 Finkelstein E, Corso P, Miller T and Associates. The Incidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2006.
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