While people in California know the dangers associated with significant brain injuries, they may not be aware that that there are actually several different types of injuries that can occur. Brain injuries can have numerous causes, and in some cases may result in lasting damage that is capable of impacting a person’s life indefinitely.
Healthline.com provides some important information on the many different types of brain injuries and their overall impact. For instance, most people are familiar with concussions, which often entail a temporary loss of brain functionality. Concussions occur when the brain comes into contact with the skull with great force, and multiple concussions have been associated with severe health issues that can have a lasting effect.
Uncontrollable bleeding in the brain is also known as a hemorrhage. There are two different types of hemorrhages that can affect the brain; an intracerebral hemorrhage occurs within the brain tissue itself, while subarachnoid hemorrhages occur within the space directly around the brain. Unabated blood flow will lead to an increase of pressure, which can be very dangerous and even life threatening. An edema or brain swelling is also extremely serious, and much like hemorrhages can result in a buildup of pressure inside the brain.
To further grasp the severity of a serious brain injury, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a few sobering statistics. Over a nine-year period, rates of hospitalizations related traumatic brain injuries increased 70 percent. Additionally, falls were the leading cause of such injuries at 40.5 percent, often involving visits to the emergency room, prolonged hospitalization and even death in some cases. Brain injuries caused by falls are particularly harmful to those over 65, who have the highest rate of fatalities from these types of injuries.