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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffTraumatic brain injury is caused by a blow or other traumatic injury to the head. The degree of damage can depend on several factors including the nature of the event and the force of impact. Injury may include one or more of the following factors:
- Damage to brain cells may be limited to the area directly below the point of impact on the skull.
- A severe blow or jolt can cause multiple points of damage because the brain may bounce back and forth in the skull.
- A severe rotational or spinning jolt can cause the tearing of cellular structures.
- A blast, as from an explosive device, can cause widespread damage.
- An object penetrating the skull can cause severe, irreparable damage to brain cells, blood vessels and protective tissues around the brain.
- Bleeding in or around the brain, swelling, and blood clots can disrupt the oxygen supply to the brain and cause more widespread damage.
Common causes
Common events causing traumatic brain injury include the following:
- Falls. Falling out of bed, slipping in the bath, falling down steps, falling from ladders and related falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury overall, particularly in older adults and young children.
- Vehicle-related collisions. Collisions involving cars, motorcycles or bicycles — and pedestrians involved in such accidents — are a common cause of traumatic brain injury, particularly among adults in their early 20s.
- Violence. About 10 percent of traumatic brain injuries are caused by violence, such as gunshot wounds, domestic violence or child abuse. Shaken baby syndrome is traumatic brain injury caused by the violent shaking of an infant that damages brain cells.
- Sports injuries. Traumatic brain injuries may be caused by injuries from a number of sports, including boxing, football, baseball, lacrosse, skateboarding, hockey, and other high-impact or extreme sports.
- Explosive blasts and other combat injuries. Explosive blasts are a common cause of traumatic brain injury in active-duty military personnel. Although the mechanism of damage isn't well understood, many researchers believe that the pressure wave passing through the brain significantly disrupts brain function. Traumatic brain injury also results from penetrating wounds, severe blows to the head with shrapnel or debris, and falls or bodily collisions with objects following a blast.
References
- Living with brain injury: Education. Brain Injury Association of America. http://www.biausa.org/education.htm. Accessed July 8, 2010.
- Heads up: Facts for physicians about mild traumatic brain injury. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/headsup/physicians_tool_kit.html. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- Traumatic brain injury: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm. Accessed July 8, 2010.
- Ling GS, et al. Management of traumatic brain injury in the intensive care unit. Neurologic Clinics. 2008;26:409.
- Nolan S. Traumatic brain injury: A review. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly. 2005;28:188.
- Living with brain injury: Treatment and rehabilitation. Brain Injury Association of America. http://www.biausa.org/treatmentandrehab.htm. Accessed July 8, 2010.
- Traumatic brain injury. Family Caregiver Alliance. http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=579. Accessed July 21, 2010.
- Coping with behavior problems after head injury. Family Caregiver Alliance. http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=396. Accessed July 21, 2010.
- Brown AW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 11, 2010.
- Traumatic brain injury in the United States: Emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths, 2002-2006. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Military & veterans. BrainLine.org. http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/military.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2010.
- Thinking/cognitive symptoms. BrainLine.org. http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/cognitivesymptoms.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2010.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Understanding brain injury: A guide for the family. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2008. http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/tbims/upload/ubi_families.pdf. Accessed Aug. 23, 2010.
- Moessner AM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. August 16, 2010.
- Behavioral and emotional symptoms. BrainLine.org. http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/behavioralsymptoms.html. Accessed Aug. 23, 2010.
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