(ThySistas.com) Millions of US citizens are affected by brain injuries every year, with the US Center for Disease Control estimating almost 50,000 annual deaths from traumatic brain injuries alone. Even more people are forced to live with the after-effects of such injuries and often experience a sharp decline in their quality of life. Below, we look at eight popular causes of brain injuries that you must definitely know about.
Tumors
Excessive cellular growth in the brain can result in tumors which will eventually end up injuring the brain. These tumors generally apply excess pressure on the brain, causing direct damage to it. It can also end up growing outward, and thereby ‘eat’ the brain cells on the way. Only a surgical procedure can remove the tumor and stop worsening the situation. However, brain injuries can also develop during such procedures if the surgeons themselves are not very careful.
Stroke
A brain stroke can occur in two ways. One, when the blood flow to the brain somehow gets blocked. This will deprive the cells of blood and oxygen, thereby causing their rapid death and resulting in serious brain injuries. Two, a vein or an artery might get torn, as a result of which there will be bleeding over the brain causing hemorrhage.
Infection
Bacteria, virus, and other microbes can infect the brain and the nearby membranes. This can result in terrible brain diseases like meningitis and encephalitis. The brain injuries you suffer from such conditions can easily cause death. Anyone suffering from brain infection usually displays greater confusion when indulging in any mental activity, lower visibility, decreased sensations, difficulty in controlling speech, fever, vomiting, extreme changes in behavior, and so on. So, if you observe any such symptoms in yourself or in others, you should be alert to the possibility of a brain injury and must visit the doctor immediately.
Open Head Injuries
Open head injuries are mostly the result of events like bullet wounds and such. The unique aspect of open head injuries is that the damage is mostly foal in nature, localized on a small area. The skull will also be fractured from an outside force. Such brain injuries often do cause death.
Closed Head Injuries
Closed head injuries are mostly caused by falling down and hitting your head, or by crashing your head in a vehicle accident. Both focal and diffuse damage is observed in the axons of patients with such head injuries. There generally will not be any penetration of the skull. However, the injury tends to affect a wider region of the brain when compared to open head injuries. As such, it is recommended that you hire a good brain injury lawyer in case of any closed head injuries caused by a car accident in which another party is at fault. The compensation you receive from the claim will be more than enough to cover the medical expenses of such damage and any loss of income because of your inability to work.
Hypoxia
In some special cases, the blood flow to the brain can get depleted. This can give rise to a condition of hypoxia where there is reduced oxygen available for the brain. In worst conditions, anoxia can also occur, which will mean that there would be no oxygen in the brain and surrounding regions. Such a situation usually just happens suddenly, mostly in a matter of few minutes. As such, it is near impossible to stop this when happening. Severe brain damage is almost guaranteed which will also result in memory and cognitive troubles. Hypoxia is usually caused due to a sudden drop in blood pressure, failure in the respiratory system, heart attacks etc.
Deceleration Injuries
The brain is a soft, gelatinous substance. In contrast, the skull is a hard, rigid object. And the very fact that the brain is housed inside the skull provides for some dangerous possibilities. The most important being deceleration injuries. The brain contracts such injuries when the head is shaken violently for a long period of time. In such a situation, the brain will get smashed onto the inside of the skull in all directions. As a result, the neural axons get stretched and compressed so much that they can get torn, a condition which is known as axonal shearing. The neuron becomes dead.
Chemicals
Many chemicals and toxic substances like lead, insecticides, and so on, freely mix with the raw food that you buy from the market. When you consume such food, it can have a negative effect on your nervous system, damaging the neurons over a period of time. This can also lead to brain injuries.
Staff Writer; Latasha Ford