February 24, 2016 – TBI

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Anchor lead: Traumatic brain injury rates continue to rise, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Increasing participation in sports is one way to help stem the tide of obesity, but it also accounts for increasing rates of traumatic brain injury, or TBI.  Vani Rao, a TBI expert at Johns Hopkins and author of a new book on the subject, comments.

Rao: Sports is common.  The rates of sports injuries is about 1.6 to 3.3 million per year. It’s difficult to say whether than is an underestimate or maybe an overestimate because many injuries don’t get recognized.  People with mild sports injuries do not seek medical care.   :18

Rao says there’s no test to specifically diagnose TBI.

Rao: At this point it’s really a clinical diagnosis.  It’s based on the history that you obtain from the person.  It’s also based on getting collateral history from family members, close friends, witnessed, coaches if it’s related to sports injuries is very, very important.   :15

Rao applauds recent ventures by the NFL and emergency medicine physicians to develop a simple test to assess TBI on the sidelines.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.