What is Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of a TBI may range from �mild,� i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to �severe,� i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury.


How many people have TBI?

TBIs contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability annually.

Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States:
•    50,000 die;
•    235,000 are hospitalized; and
•    1.1 million are treated and released from an emergency department.1
Among children ages 0 to 14 years, TBI results in an estimated:
•    2,685 deaths;
•    37,000 hospitalizations; and
•    435,000 emergency department visits annually.1
The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.
For more information about TBI in the United States, including the groups at highest risk, CDC�s surveillance activities, and the numbers of TBI cases in each state, see Overview.

   
What are the costs of TBI?

Direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity of TBI totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.4