Abstract
There has been significant emphasis on the topic of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for returning US Service Members from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan due to the high frequency of exposure to blast explosions. TBI has been called the “signature wound” of these conflicts and there is considerable debate on the prevalence of TBI, as well as the contribution of TBI to current symptoms that former Active Duty Service Members are experiencing after returning from deployment. TBI is graded in severity based on duration of alteration or loss of consciousness, duration of post-traumatic amnesia, and Glasgow Coma Scale score.
The Veterans Affairs TBI Screening and Evaluation process was initiated to identify those individuals with possible TBI and then confirm the diagnosis by an in-person examination by a clinician with TBI expertise. The efforts of the VA to identify and care for Veterans with TBI will be discussed as well as the challenges of diagnosis and treatment of mild TBI and the frequently occurring co-morbidities of pain, PTSD, and other mental health issues. The VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines for the treatment and management of mild TBI/Concussion provide recommendations for treatment and will be briefly reviewed. Veterans with a history of mild TBI and persistent symptoms are being identified by the VA which provides an additional opportunity to provide needed services for this patient cohort.
This article is an overview of the lecture presented as the Special Guest Speaker at the 34th Annual Conference of the Japan Higher Order Brain Dysfunction Society.
