Persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to an auto accident or any other type of accident may suffer from long term consequences that are very similar to the symptoms suffered by persons living with a chronic condition.
Those conclusions came from a new study recently published in the Neurology journal. The researchers analyzed data on more than 900 patients who had suffered mild traumatic brain injury like concussions as well as 200 patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, and compared these patients to a group of 150 patients with no history of a traumatic brain injury. Brain injuries are frequently suffered by persons involved in car accidents, slip and fall accidents and even due to medical malpractice. As part of the research, the persons were asked about physical symptoms like headache and fatigue. They were also asked about their thinking abilities, especially the ability to perform daily and routine tasks, as well as their overall mental health and memory.
They found in their analysis that 21% of the persons with a mild brain injury suffered declines overall, compared to 26% of the persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Among the persons with no brain injury, the decline was just 15%.
The decline was continuous and continued to occur over a long period of time. Over a period of 2 to 7 years, the researchers found that 29% of the persons with mild traumatic brain injury declined in their overall abilities. However, there were also improvements over a long period of time with approximately 22% of the persons with mild injury improving over a period of 2 to 7 years and 33% of the persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury recording progress over the same period of time.
The researchers say that these findings point to the similarities between traumatic brain injury and any chronic condition. In any chronic condition, there may be declines as well as improvements in the person’s symptoms over a period of time. There may be fluctuation in the symptoms, and there may be periods during which the symptoms are more intense, followed by periods of time in which the symptoms are comparatively mild.
Not all researchers agree with these findings. Other researchers believe that a person’s recovery after a brain injury can depend, to at least some extent, on the person’s lifestyle. They believe that patients need to be treated by doctors who have experience with continuous management of brain injury symptoms because so many of the symptoms evolve over a period of time. It is also important to have a professional who is experienced in treating cases of brain injury because the research in this field is constantly evolving, and a general practitioner may not have access to the most recent updated data and findings.
Brain injuries are serious injuries that typically are caused in motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents. They may also be seen in serious auto accidents. The Atlanta auto accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered brain injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your options for a claim for damages.