When someone sustains a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) the result can be a chronic disease or disability that lasts a lifetime.
Learn More at the Brain Injury Association of Missouri
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines chronic disease as a health condition that last a year or longer and requires ongoing medical attention, limits activities or a combination of both.
Brain injury as a chronic health condition was conceptualized by Dr. Brent Masel with a Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) position paper in 2009. That report summarized scientific evidence that brain injury is associated with increased risks for a variety of neurological and non-neurological health conditions. This breakthrough information supported the notion that brain injury can cause or accelerate disabilities and diseases.
Research studies during the past decade related to brain injury as a chronic health condition have led to a better understanding of long-term outcomes experienced by some survivors of brain injury. Studies related to physical health conditions showed:
·Post-traumatic headaches – More than 70 percent of individuals with moderate to severe brain injury are affected the first year after injury.
·Sleep disturbances – 50 percent of survivors of brain injury experience some form of sleep disturbance, and 25 – 29 percent have a diagnosed sleep disorder.
·Post-traumatic epilepsy – For adults with moderate to severe brain injury the incident rate of new-onset seizure disorders is about nine percent the first year following the injury.
Missouri AgrAbility serves farmers and ranchers with a variety of disabilities and chronic health conditions. The focus is to help cultivate solutions for the person and their family to be productive in farming, ranching, or other agribusiness. Qualifying disabilities may include brain injury, epilepsy, vision impairment, mental health disorders, chronic pain, arthritis, and more.
For more information, contact the Brain Injury Association of Missouri for support, education, recreation and advocacy at www.biamo.org or (800) 444-6443.