-head-injury : Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention

What is Head Injury?

A head injury is any sort of injury to your brain, skull, or scalp. This can range from a mild bump or bruise to a traumatic brain injury. Common head injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds.

What are the symptoms of a head injury?

Common symptoms of a minor head injury include:

• a headache
• lightheadedness
• a spinning sensation
• mild confusion
• nausea
• temporary ringing in the ears
• a loss of consciousness
• seizures
• vomiting
• balance or coordination problems
• serious disorientation
• an inability to focus the eyes
• abnormal eye movements
• a loss of muscle control
• a persistent or worsening headache
• memory loss
• changes in mood
• leaking of clear fluid from the ear or the nose

What are the causes of Head Injury?

Common events causing traumatic brain injury include the following:

• Falls. Falling out of bed, slipping in the bath, falling down steps, falling from ladders and related falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury overall, particularly in older adults and young children.
• Vehicle-related collisions. Collisions involving cars, motorcycles or bicycles — and pedestrians involved in such accidents — are a common cause of traumatic brain injury.
• Violence. About 20 percent of traumatic brain injuries are caused by violence, such as gunshot wounds, domestic violence or child abuse. Shaken baby syndrome is traumatic brain injury caused by the violent shaking of an infant that damages brain cells.
• Sports injuries. Traumatic brain injuries may be caused by injuries from a number of sports, including soccer, boxing, football, baseball, lacrosse, skateboarding, hockey, and other high-impact or extreme sports, particularly in youth.
• Explosive blasts and other combat injuries. Explosive blasts are a common cause of traumatic brain injury in active-duty military personnel.

How is Head Injury diagnosed?

Because traumatic brain injuries are usually emergencies and because consequences can worsen swiftly without treatment, doctors usually need to assess the situation rapidly.

• Computerised tomography (CT) scan
• Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Intracranial pressure monitor

What are the treatments of Head Injury?

Medications :- Medications to limit secondary damage to the brain immediately after an injury may include:-

• Diuretics
• Anti-seizure drugs
• Coma-inducing drugs

 Surgery

Emergency surgery may be needed to minimize additional damage to brain tissues. Surgery may be used to address the following problems:

• Removing clotted blood (hematomas)
• Repairing skull fractures
• Opening a window in the skull