San Luis Obispo Personal Injury Lawyer - Head & Brain Injuries

Another headache for veterans: the late effects of head injuries

Ray Mattison — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

There has been an uproar about the apparent cover up by the Army of the rate of soldier suicide. As reported in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article the suicide rate among soldiers is three to seven times the rate in the general population. 12,000 service personnel under treatment are attempting suicide each year, something the VA allegedly tried to cover up. Now Iraq veterans who suffer head injuries may have to worry about developing early "senility" type symptoms in later life. Recently published in the neurological journal Brain, this long term study of Vietnam veterans found worrisome declines in intellectual function and cognitive function now, 30 to 40 years later, stemming from their wartime injury. Two thirds of those injured in Iraq and Afghanistan who end up in Army medical centers suffer from head injuries. Researchers have expressed concern that this could be a medical time bomb set to go off years rom now unless it is addressed and treated now.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ray Mattison

Brain Injuries Lead to Mental Decline as Patients Age

Ray Mattison — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:55:11 GMT

A growing body of evidence indicates that people who suffer traumatic brain injuries can develop dementia like symptoms in later life. In a study published in the online journal Brain, a study of Vietnam Veterans which has been ongoing since 1967 found that brain injuries suffered by young soldiers was associated with a decline in intelligence and cognition in later life. The study compared injured veterans with those who were uninjured and found marked declines in functioning in those who suffered a brain injury in earlier life. The article also found that genetic differences played a surprising role in those who developed these symptoms. The more intelligent the veteran, the less the decline, a finding which matches other studies that the mentally active develop dementia later in life than those who are not. Nearly two thirds of US soldiers injured in Iraq and sent to the Army medical center have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, according to Dr. Jordan Grafman, one of the authors of the study.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ray Mattison