From: Blahnik, Emily A. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: February 14, 2012 17:17
Subject: Mayo Clinic: Traumatic Brain Injuries are Likely More Common Than
Previously Thought

Feb. 14, 2012

Duska Anastasijevic
507-284-5005 (days) 
507-284-2511 (evenings)
Email: [log in to unmask]

VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from
an interview with Dr. Brown, are available on the Mayo Clinic News Blog.

For Immediate Release

Traumatic Brain Injuries are Likely More Common Than Previously Thought

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Though researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the
long-term effects of head injury, few studies have looked at the prevalence
of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in all age groups, including males and
females, taking into account both mild and serious events. In a recent study
published in Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic researchers applied a new, refined
system for classifying injuries caused by force to the head and found that
the incidence of traumatic brain injury is likely greater than has been
estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

"Even mild traumatic brain injuries can affect sensory-motor functions,
thinking and awareness, and communication," says study author Allen Brown,
M.D., director of brain rehabilitation research at Mayo Clinic. "In
assessing frequency, we have likely been missing a lot of cases. This is the
first population-based analysis to determine prevalence along the whole
spectrum of these injuries."

Researchers used the Mayo Traumatic Brain Injury Classification System, a
new brain injury method that classifies head injuries along a more
comprehensive scale than ever before. The categories label patients with
"definite," "probable" and "possible" TBIs, providing a way to incorporate
symptoms such as a brief period of unconsciousness or even an injured
patient's complaint of dizziness or nausea. 

Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a several decades-long compilation
of medical records in Olmsted County, Minn., the team determined that TBIs
occur in as many as 558 per 100,000 people, compared to the 341 per 100,000
estimated by the CDC. Researchers found that 60 percent of injuries fell
outside the standard categorization used by the CDC, even though two-thirds
of them were symptomatic. Mayo researchers found the elderly and the young
were found most at risk for "definite" and "possible" injury, respectively,
and men were more at risk than women. The findings reinforce ongoing efforts
by the CDC to create a brain injury classification that more broadly
encompasses traumatic head injury. 

"With more complete assessment of frequency, we'll have better tools to
develop prevention programs, optimize treatments, understand
cost-effectiveness of care and predict outcomes for patients," says Dr.
Brown.

Other study authors include Cynthia Leibson, Ph.D.; Jeanine Ransom; Nancy
Diehl; Patricia Perkins; and Jay Mandrekar, Ph.D., all of Mayo Clinic, and
James Malec, Ph.D., of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana.

###

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and
education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit
www.mayoclinic.com and www.mayoclinic.org/news.

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