While a traumatic brain injury (TBI) certainly has its immediate effects, it is often the long-term impacts that take the greatest toll on a victim’s life. Whether the injury is mild or severe, these symptoms can progress or emerge weeks, months, or years after the date of the TBI.
What Are Traumatic Brain Injuries?
TBIs are injuries that are most commonly caused by blows to or objects piercing the head.
In particular, the top causes of TBIs include things such as:
- Falls
- Blunt trauma
- Motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents
- Assaults
- Explosions
- Sports
These injuries can be divided into two types: primary and secondary. Primary TBIs result in immediate damage, whereas damage from secondary injuries develops over time.
They can be further categorized as penetrating, meaning they were caused by an object that pierced the skull and brain tissue, and non-penetrating, meaning they were the result of an external force. Non-penetrating TBIs are also known as closed-head injuries.
Most brain injuries caused by any of the incidents listed above are closed head injuries, and they can range anywhere from mild to severe.
TBI Symptoms Years Later
The types of long-term symptoms that can develop after sustaining a TBI depend on the severity of the injury.
The most common are as follows:
- Memory loss
- Chronic headaches
- Dizziness
- Visual and hearing decline
- Fatigue
- Balance, coordination, and mobility difficulties
- Communications difficulties
- Sleep pattern changes
- Poor concentration
- Poor memory recall
- Mood swings or increased irritability
- Brain bleeds
- Seizures
- Paralysis
Someone who suffers a mild TBI, also known as a concussion, will generally experience fewer (if any) severe symptoms than a person who endured a moderate or severe brain injury.
There are exceptions, which are described below. And with moderate to severe brain injuries, the part of the brain where the trauma occurred largely affects which symptoms an individual experiences.
The Long-Term Complications of a Brain Injury
A person who suffers a concussion usually does not have to deal with long-term side effects. Some patients, though, may experience post-concussive syndrome, the symptoms of which can extend over weeks, months, or longer.
Concussion sufferers must also do what they can to avoid a second head injury before the first injury has time to heal. The result is second impact syndrome, which can cause dangerous brain swelling.
In addition to the long-term symptoms noted earlier, those who suffer moderate and severe TBIs may experience a progressive decline in brain functions.
Research published by Nature in 2018 suggests that patients with mild TBIs may suffer long-term impairments in their basic neural functions. The researchers, who studied the eye movement of mild TBI victims, found that the patients had a significantly slower reaction to visual and auditory stimuli.
Moderate and severe brain injury victims also have a higher risk of developing the following conditions:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Dementia
- Endocrine disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Pneumonia
Research conducted over the last three decades has consistently shown that a TBI increases the risk of dementia. Just one can elevate the risk by 1.25 times, compared to those who have not suffered a brain injury, according to research published by Penn Medicine. A New Port Richey brain injury attorney can help victims and their families pursue compensation that accounts for the potential long-term cognitive and neurological effects associated with traumatic brain injuries.
When an individual endures two or more head injuries, they face double the risk. Nearly 10% of all dementia cases that developed in the Penn Medicine 25-year study could be linked to at least one previous head injury.
Not Everyone Experiences Long-Term Impacts From a TBI
Regardless of the severity, the effects of a TBI can last for years and even develop into a disability. Still, that doesn’t mean that all of those listed above are inevitabilities. Those most prone to long-term complications tend to be individuals who have sustained a severe (or more than one) brain injury.
Contact the New Port Richey Personal Injury Law Firm of Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact the legal team of Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer in New Port Richey. We have convenient locations in Florida: St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Tampa.
We serve throughout Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and its surrounding areas:
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - St. Petersburg Law Office
840 Beach Dr NE Suite 202
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Safety Harbor Law Office
202 9th Ave S Suite A-2
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
(727) 787-2500
