Traumatic Brain Injury: Consequences and Family Needs

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the most common injuries resulting from external causes and constitutes a global public health problem of great significance. TBI is mainly caused by traffic accidents, violence and falls, with a strong impact on the population’s morbidity and mortality. TBI is a complex injury caused by a cascade of changes in the brain and throughout the body. Its consequences, especially neuropsychiatric ones, do not appear immediately, a characteristic of a silent epidemic (Hampton, 2011). It is considered to be a chronic disease process, according to the World Health Organization, presenting one or more of the following characteristics: permanent, caused by nonreversible pathological alterations, requires special treatment to rehabilitate the patient, or a long period of observation, supervision and care (Masel & DeWitt, 2010). It affects people of all ages, with a higher incidence among those who are 15 to 24 years old and 75 years old or older. It occurs twice as frequently in men as in women, half of all cases are associated with alcohol and can result in physical, cognitive, and psychosocial disability. Due to the large number of cases with disabilities, prevention is of great importance (National Institutes Health [NIH], 1999). There is a worldwide concern to promote widespread awareness, warning people of all classes and ages about how serious a problem TBI is becoming. Good education, knowledge of risk factors and prevention reduces the incidence of trauma and its consequences.