Traumatic Brain Injuries And Dementia

Annually roughly 1.4 million people across the United States of America sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury. Whilst many recover if not fully but quite well there are currently more than 5.3 million Americans who require lifelong assistance of others to help them in performing daily activities. There are many disabilities linked to suffering traumatic brain injuries and these can affect a person in many ways by affecting their thinking, comprehension, emotions and behavior. Traumatic brain injuries can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age. A recent study has found that dementia risks are increased as a person ages, if they have suffered from a traumatic brain injury when they were younger.

What is a traumatic brain injury?

A traumatic brain injury or an intracranial injury is sustained when there is a brain injury that has occurred due to an external force. The effects and impact of a traumatic brain injury on a person’s health and life are dependent on not only the severity of the injury but also where in the brain the injury occurred and whether the injury was caused by something penetrating the brain or not.

The link between traumatic brain injury and dementia

A study that was recently published in the New York Times found that the likelihood of developing dementia was increased in people suffering from traumatic brain injury.

During the study a sample of 27 million people from 1977 to 2013 were examined. Out of those 132,000 were sufferers of traumatic brain injury. These were then compared to other sufferers of dementia.

The study found that, compared to those who had never suffered from a TBI, a person who had a TBI had a 24 percent increased risk of dementia. Those who had suffered from five or more TBIs had nearly triple the risk of developing dementia. Even a person who had a single mild TBI had a 17 percent increased risk of dementia.

Impact of brain injuries

A brain injury can impact a person’s life in many different ways. In many circumstances the impact of a brain injury will cause a person who sustained the brain injury to take substantial time off work or have to stop working completely, resulting in both loss of income and loss of earning capacity. Only an experienced brain injury attorney in Philadelphia, PA or elsewhere in Pennsylvania can help you recover a fair and adequate compensation for all the damages and losses you have suffered and will suffer for the rest of your life as a result of this catastrophic injury.

Contact a Pennsylvania brain injury lawyer

Contact the Dan Doyle Law Group to speak about your particular case and pursue compensation. Let our experienced personal injury lawyers formulate the most effective legal strategy for you. Call our offices 215-987-3730 or complete this contact form to get a free consultation.