Brain Injuries in Youth can Have Long-Term Effects

A new study published in PLOS Medicine has found that even mild head trauma suffered during youth can lead to serious problems later in life, including psychiatric problems and even premature death: “Researchers compared 100,000 Swedes who suffered at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI) before age 25 with their unaffected siblings.

The investigators found that those who had had head injuries were consistently more likely to die early and have problems functioning as adults.” TBI was consistently linked with low educational attainment, psychiatric treatment, and premature death, and many long-term effects were more striking among those whose injuries were more severe, those who had suffered multiple head injuries, and those who were older at the time of injury.

“The key finding is that these increased risks remained elevated even after comparison with unaffected siblings, which is consistent with [the notion] that TBIs partly cause these outcomes,” said study author Dr. Seena Fazel of the University of Oxford. “The worst outcome is clearly premature mortality, but after that the increased risks of psychiatric hospitalization are notable.”

TBIs affect about 1.7 million Americans per year, and the leading causes are falls and auto accidents, and there is also great concern, for youth and professional athletes alike, about the long-term effects of concussions of all degrees of severity.

Dr. Bradley Sandella, who is a sports medicine program director at the Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Delaware, is also concerned about the link between TBIs and psychiatric problems later in life, though he was not directly involved in the new study. “For some time, there has been speculation within the medical community that there is a strong link between traumatic brain injury and psychiatric issues,” he said.

“Essentially, the belief is that the brain injury can trigger or exacerbate the symptoms of a psychiatric illness. I found it somewhat surprising that there was [in the study] a higher increase in mortality at a younger age…a 2 percent absolute risk increase is surprisingly high.”

Fortunately, many youth athletic programs across the country, especially in schools, are responding to the ever-expanding research into head and brain injuries and their complications by establishing better protocols for the safety of student athletes. “However, more needs to be done, including the banning of dangerous or reckless plays in sports that place people at risk for injuries,” said Sandella.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident due to negligence, contact 844 See Mike for a free consultation. We are a Chicago-based injury law firm representing individuals (and their families) who have suffered an injury in an accident. We will handle your case quickly and advise you every step of the way, and we will not hesitate to go to trial for you.

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