Traumatic Brain Injury is an injury to the brain from external force, and it is a common condition among Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. 65% of blast-exposed patients from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom have been diagnosed with a brain injury.
Although most commonly associated with IED or blast-type injuries, brain injuries are also caused by vehicle/tank accidents and combat training exercises, among others. Immediate or near-term symptoms include: loss of consciousness (LOC), amnesia, and neurological impairment. Severity is generally measured according to the duration of loss of consciousness and post-traumatic amnesia.