Blast-induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, known as Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In the popular press, TBI has sometimes been referred to as the signature injury of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 1 with estimates that 10% to 20% of returning OIF/OEF veterans have suffered a TBI.2~ Most attention focused initially on moderate to severe TBis recognized in theater, 7 and OIF has resulted in the highest number of service-related severe TBis since the Vietnam era. However, it soon became apparent that many OIF/OEF veterans were presenting to Veteran's Affairs 0/A) hospitals and other facilities with symptoms suggestive of the residual effects of mild TBis that were never recognized before discharge. Mild TBis greatly outnumber moderate to severe TBis in this population.2 3 Although diverse mechanisms have resulted in injury, because of the prominent use of improvised explosive devices (lEOs) in both theaters of operation, blast exposure has been the most common cause of TBI.2 5 More broadly, according to Department of Defense (DoD) statistics of February 6 2010, of the more than 41,000 US military casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 26,000 were caused by explosive devices.9 There are concerns that blast-related TBis may produce both long-term health effects in veterans as well as affecting the in-theater performance of active-duty troops.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA552938
Entities
People
- Adrian Cristian
- Effie M. Mitsis
- Gregory A Elder
- Stephen T. Ahlers
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center