Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious and potentially life-threatening health issue. It is caused by a sudden trauma to the head, such as a fall, car accident, an assault which includes physical violence or sports-related incident.
TBI can cause a variety of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms, ranging from mild to severe.
Some of the common short-term and long-term effects of TBI include;
Short-term effects
1. Cognitive effects
-Confusion
-Problems with judgment
-Shortened attention span
-Loss of sense of time and space
-Problem-solving deficits
-Memory problems and amnesia
-Inability to understand abstract concepts
-Decreased awareness of self and others
-Inability to accept more than one- or two-step commands at the same time
2. Motor effects
-Spasticity (tightening and shortening of the muscles)
-Delays in getting started
-Inability to plan motor movements
-Tremors
-Swallowing problems
-Mood swings
-Poor balance
-Memory loss
-Headaches
-Seizures
-Impaired motor function.
3. Perceptual or sensory effects
-Loss of sensation or heightened sensation of body parts
-Difficulty understanding where limbs are in relation to the body
-Left- or right-sided neglect
-Changes in hearing, vision, taste, smell, and touch
-Vision problems, including double vision, lack of visual acuity, or limited range of vision
5. Communication and language effects
-Difficult reading (alexia) or writing (agraphia)
-Slow, hesitant speech and decreased vocabulary
-Difficulty knowing how to perform certain very common actions, like brushing one's teeth (apraxia)
-Problems identifying objects and their function
-Difficulty forming sentences that make sense
-Difficulty speaking and understanding speech.
-Difficulty choosing the right words to say.
Long-term effects of TBI include;
✓ Alzheimer's disease
✓ Parkinson's disease
✓ Post traumatic epilepsy
✓ Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy(CTE)
The symptoms might also be as a result of other ailments but should not be overlooked where there's a history of head trauma.
With the right treatment and support, individuals with TBI can make a full recovery and improve their functioning and quality of life.
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