Who Gets Injured

Who gets head injured and how

• Each year, around 1.4 million people attend hospital Accident and Emergency departments in the UK following head injury
• Approximately half of deaths in people under 40 are due to head injury
• Head injury accounts for about 30% of traumatic deaths and a higher proportion of long-term disabilities
• Men are two or three times more likely to have a brain injury than women. This increases to five times more likely in the 15-29 age range
• The major causes of head injury are road traffic collisions, falls and accidents at home or at work
• The majority of TBIs (80%) are classified as ‘mild' with most people seen in Accident and Emergency and discharged home. Although ‘mild', people often suffer from ongoing debilitating symptoms such as headaches, irritability, fatigue, poor concentration and memory problems. These symptoms may be prolonged and have an impact on family relationships and employment.  Approximately 10% of head injuries are ‘moderate', require a brain scan and admission to hospital. These people are at high risk of ongoing symptoms. The other 10% are those with ‘severe' head injury who are in a coma and require specialist treatment in intensive care.  They will then need further medical and specialist treatment on discharge from hospital and may need this for the rest of their lives.