Potential Long-Term Effects of a Traumatic Brain Injury

What is a traumatic brain injury?

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a type of brain damage that occurs as a result of an injury to the head. This type of injury may be non-penetrative, such as a blow to the head, or penetrative, such as a gunshot wound. The severity of a TBI depends on various factors, and the lasting effects can range from a few days to permanent brain damage or, in severe cases, death. A concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury.

Long-term effects

Long-term effects associated with TBI can be numerous. Although some symptoms may improve over time, others can become permanent. Lifelong rehabilitation may be necessary. Below are various potential long-term effects of a TBI.

Cognitive skills

• Memory problems
• Loss of sense of time or space
• Problem-solving difficulty
• Confusion
• Coma
• Judgment issues
• Decreased awareness of self or others
• Amnesia
• Shortened attention span
• Inability to understand abstract concepts
• Inability to understand multistep requests

Motor skills

• Tremors
• Poor balance
• Difficulty swallowing
• Delays in movement
• Spasticity (tightening or shortening of muscles)
• Paralysis
• Weakness
• Decreased endurance
• Poor coordination

Sensory skills

• Altered sense of vision, hearing, taste, smell or touch
• Difficulty with spatial awareness
• Left- or right-side neglect
• Vision problems, such as lack of visual acuity, limited range, double vision, etc.
• Heightened or decreased sensation of body parts

Communication issues

• Slowed speech
• Difficulty identifying objects and their function
• Difficulty reading, speaking, writing, or choosing the right words to say
• Inability to form coherent sentences
• Difficulty working with numbers
• Difficulty understanding speech or writing
• Decreased vocabulary

Functional problems

• Inability to drive a car or operate machinery
• Difficulty with activities of daily living, including dressing, eating, bathing, etc.
• Difficulty with organization, shopping, paying bills, etc.

Social complications

• Impaired social capacity
• Difficulty understanding or reciprocating nuances of social interactions
• Difficulty making and keeping friends

Regulatory changes

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
• Change in eating habits
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

Post-traumatic Headaches

A common type of chronic pain caused by a TBI is post-traumatic headaches. These are secondary headaches that typically develop within a week of the incident.

Traumatic epilepsy

Seizures or epilepsy may occur following a TBI, especially when severe or penetrative injuries are the cause. Normally, these seizures begin immediately after or within a year of the injury. However, in some cases, seizures may occur years after the incident.

Degenerative brain diseases

It is unclear whether certain degenerative brain diseases can result from a TBI, although research suggests they may be related. Degenerative brain diseases that can cause a gradual loss of brain functionality include the following:

• Alzheimer’s impacts a person’s memory and thinking skills over time.
• Parkinson’s causes issues with movement, including rigidity, tremors, and slowed movement.
• Dementia pugilistica is often associated with the repeated blows to the head that a boxer may experience. It can cause symptoms of dementia, such as memory loss, difficulty communicating, confusion, personality changes, etc., along with movement problems.