Brain Injury

Brain injury or brain damage is the pathological condition wherein brain cells are destroyed. This degeneration of brain cells may result from a variety of situations or conditions, diseases and injuries—usually to the head. These damages to the brain could be caused by a prolonged shortage of oxygen supplied to the brain, certain infections, trauma and neurological disorders.

Although it is difficult to assess or gauge the actual damage done to a person’s life, assessing the extent of the brain damage could be done by letting the patient undergo a neurological examination. Neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments are also done in order to further assess the extent of brain cell degeneration. However, in the cases of children or infants who are suffering from brain damage, it is more difficult for specialists to gauge the extent and effects of the damage. This is because different areas of the brain mature at different stages. For example, it would be impossible to know if the area responsible for speech has been damaged until the infant reaches the speaking age.

The extent of the brain injury and the location of the damaged tissues play an important role in knowing what effects and problems the patient may have. For example, damage to the brain stem can very much likely lead to paralysis or a permanent vegetative state. Other effects of brain injury are delusions or hallucinations, speech problems such as slurring, decreased mobility, neurocognitive deficits, amnesia, coma and even death.

Impairment or disability that is caused by brain injury may be treated differently depending on the severity of brain cell degeneration. These treatments include medication, surgery, neuropsychological rehabilitation and physical implants. In severe cases, there are also methods such as deep brain stimulation. Rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients is spearheaded by specialists in this area such as neurosurgeons, neurologists and neuropsychologists. These experts are capable of understanding the effects of brain injury, assessing brain damage and creating the appropriate rehabilitation program for each patient. In such programs, professionals help patients regain complete body functions and relearn essential skills.

Brain Injury provides detailed information on Brain Injury, Anoxic Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Hypoxic Brain Injury and more. Brain Injury is affiliated with Diabetic Neuropathy. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy

Hypoxic Brain Injury

Hypoxic brain injury or cerebral hypoxia is a condition that refers to a severe decrease of oxygen supplied to the brain, even though there is sufficient blood flow. This condition may be caused by a blockage in the respiratory tract or airways brought about by strangling, suffocation or choking, conditions such as head trauma, cardiac arrest, carbon monoxide poisoning and complications from surgery. In mild cases, cerebral hypoxia can lead to memory loss or temporary amnesia, poor judgment, impaired motor coordination and inattentiveness or carelessness.

It is very important for the brain to have adequate supply of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation in brain cells can lead to tragic consequences within minutes. If the lack or absence of oxygen lasts longer, the brain cannot respond to stimuli, which leads to seizures, unconsciousness, coma and brain death. When brain death happens, basic life functions such as breathing, homeostasis, blood circulation and maintenance of blood pressure, along with other cardiac functions are preserved, but then the patient would already be unresponsive and unconscious of everything.

Treatments greatly depend on the primary cause of the hypoxia, but is imperative that basic life-support systems have to be installed in order to regulate the body’s processes. For example, a ventilator is needed to secure the airway; medications to maintain blood pressure and heart rate; and other medicines to suppress seizures that can further damage brain tissues.

The recovery and rehabilitation of patients highly depend on the duration of oxygen deprivation the brain endured and on how much degeneration of brain cells occurred. Most patients who had suffered from hypoxia and recovered fully had only been unconscious for a short time. If they had been unconscious for a longer period of time, the chance of brain death or even death resulting from the episode is reasonably higher and the chance of full recovery lower.

Brain Injury provides detailed information on Brain Injury, Anoxic Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Hypoxic Brain Injury and more. Brain Injury is affiliated with Diabetic Neuropathy. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is a head injury that results from sudden trauma which causes brain cell destruction or degeneration. Types of head injury include contusions or bruising of the brain and intracranial hemorrhage or heavy bleeding in the skull. This could be caused by a closed head injury such as being hit on the head with a blunt object or penetrating head injury or when an object penetrates through the skull damaging brain tissues.

Most head injury cases with people under 75 years old are caused by vehicular accidents, while a majority of cases involving people over 75 years old are caused by falls. Such injuries can also be caused by other conditions such as a stroke, meningitis or anoxia. The brain’s cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum and brain stem could be damaged at different extents. The symptoms of such damage can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. There are varying effects to these symptoms. These can range from the patient’s full recovery, partial disability, and temporary disability to permanent disability and death.

Some symptoms of head injury are immediately evident although some may only be noticed weeks or even months after the injury. In cases of mild head injury, the patient experiences headaches, lightheadedness, dizziness, mental confusion, ringing in the ears, fatigue, a change in sleeping patterns, behavioral or mood changes and trouble with memory, concentration, attention or thinking. These symptoms will either get better or worsen, depending on the extent of the injury. Patients who suffer from moderate and severe head injuries may also show these symptoms along with loss of consciousness, nausea, personality changes, seizures, slurred speech, loss of coordination, dilation of one or both pupils, restlessness, extreme agitation, weakness or numbness of extremities or hands and feet and inability to waken. Most patients who suffer from severe head injuries are observed to have cognitive disabilities and different levels of consciousness. These vary from stupor, coma and a persistent vegetative stage to locked-in syndrome and brain death.

Brain Injury provides detailed information on Brain Injury, Anoxic Brain Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Hypoxic Brain Injury and more. Brain Injury is affiliated with Diabetic Neuropathy. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy