injuries and poisoning
Overview of Head Injuries
Prognosis for Head Injuries
Most people who have had a minor head injury recover completely, particularly if symptoms of postconcussion syndrome do not develop. Symptoms of postconcussion syndrome are common during the week after brain injury. They often resolve during the second week. However, sometimes symptoms persist for months or, rarely, years. People who have had a concussion seem to be more susceptible to another one, particularly if the new injury occurs before symptoms from the previous concussion have completely gone away (as may happen in Sports-Related Concussion , often when an athlete resumes playing too quickly). For adults who have had a severe head injury, most recovery occurs within the first 6 months, although some improvement may continue for up to several years. Children tend to recover more fully, regardless of the injury’s severity, and they continue to improve for a much longer time. The eventual consequences of a severe head injury range from complete recovery to permanent problems or disabilities of varying degrees to death. Common long-term problems include the following: Amnesia (loss of memory for previous events and trouble forming new memories) Behavioral problems (such as anxiety, restlessness, impulsivity, lack of inhibition, or lack of motivation) Sudden mood swings Depression Sleep disturbances Loss of smell Decreased intellectual function Recovery of memory after loss of consciousness due to a severe head injury depends on how quickly consciousness is regained. People who regain consciousness in the first week are most likely to recover their memory. Rarely, a seizure disorder develops after a severe head injury. It usually starts soon after the injury but may develop up to 4 years later. The type and severity of disabilities depend on where and how badly the brain was damaged. Different Brain Dysfunction by Location control specific functions. Some functions, such as vision and control of arm and leg movements, are controlled by unique areas on one side of the brain. Damage to any of these areas usually causes impairment of the corresponding function and thus permanent disability. Undamaged areas of the brain sometimes take over functions that were lost when another area was damaged, resulting in partial recovery. However, as people age, the brain becomes less able to shift functions from one area to another. For example, language skills are handled by several parts of the brain in young children but are concentrated on one side of the brain (the left hemisphere) in adults. If the left hemisphere’s language areas are severely damaged before age 8, the right hemisphere can assume near-normal language function. However, damage to language areas during adulthood results in permanent disability. Rehabilitation After a Brain Injury can help people minimize the effect of most disabilities on function. 