Acquired Brain Injury - What is it?

Acquired brain injury, simply stated, includes any brain injury that is acquired at or after birth. Cerebral palsy, for instance, can be acquired prior to birth, during the birthing process or shortly after birth. Since there is evidence that cerebral palsy can be linked to the mother or child's medical history, it is not really considered to be what are commonly known as acquired brain injuries.

Multiple sclerosis certainly affects the brain but it is considered to be a nervous system disease caused in part by heredity but triggered by any of multiple viruses.

Common Causes of Acquired Brain Injury

Trauma to the head is the most common cause of brain injury and can result in mild, moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries. Although rare, this trauma can occur in the birth canal during the birthing process. Head trauma, however, is most often caused by accidents, falls, and sports injuries.

Traumatic brain injuries, due to Improved Explosive Devices (IED) became the signature wound sustained by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Brain tumors can also cause brain injury. The severity, of course, depends on the location and size of the tumor.

Strokes are another common cause. A stroke is caused by oxygenated blood not properly reaching brain cells, resulting in those cells dying. The severity of brain injuries caused by strokes, then, depends on the location of the dead cells and how many cells died during the stroke event.

Readers of Brain Injury Survivor's Guide are familiar with the fact that Beth's brain injury was caused by an anoxic stroke after suffering Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

Cerebral hemorrage is another cause of acquired brain injury. One such event of cerebral hemmorage is known as Arterio-Venous Malformation. Even though a person is born with AVM, it is usually a number of years before it shows its ugly self.

Hydrocephalus gets its name from the Greek words hydro (meaning water) and cephalus (meaning head). It is a condition caused by too much fluid in the brain causing pressure on it. The brain and spinal cord float in a fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The amount of CSF surrounding the brain is a delicate balance, and too much causes the unwanted pressure. Hydrocephalus can be present at birth, or it can be caused by head trauma or stroke.

Brain Aneurysms are another cause of brain injury. An aneurysm is an abnormal bulging inside a blood vessel. Brain aneuryms, also called intracranial or cerebral aneuryms, are often not noticed until they rupture. This rupture, in turn, becomes a cerebral hemorrage (mentioned above). It has been estimated that as many as 1 in 15 people in the United States will develop a brain aneurym during their lifetime.

Acquired brain injuries are about the last thing any person would want to acquire but they are more common than most people believe. People would like to see world peace; they would like to acquire fame and fortune. Acquiring a brain injury is not on anyone's list.

Once acquired, though, there are many strategies available on a self-help level and many therapies available from speech therapists, occupational therapists, psysiatrists and neuromedical personnel that can benefit both those who have suffered an ABI and those that love them.

Beth's Brain Injury Blog has additional information about living after having an anoxic brain injury:

Yes I Can! - "Yes I Can" should be the attitude of those dealing with acquired brain injury. It’s extremely important to keep a positive attitude even though there are many times you don’t feel that way. Thinking positively can motivate you to accomplish goals you’ve set for yourself." - this is simply a lead to the article. Click the link to read the article.

Brain Injury and Hurricanes - "What would it be like to be dealing with an acquired brain injury prior, during, and after a hurricane - especially, for someone who is on their own? A brain injury and a hurricane are an especially bad mix." - this is simply a lead to the article. Click the link to read the article.

A Brain Injury Necessity – Maintaining Organization - "Normal people need organization in their lives, but for someone who has suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI, an Anoxic Brain Injury, a Stroke, or some other Acquired Brain Injury, maintaining organization in their live is essential to both mental and physical health." - this is simply a lead to the article. Click the link to read the article.

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