Ciara Brown

Mr. Sell
Anatomy & Physiology
February 26, 2015

Should TBIs have more government funding

1.5 million people in the U.S. will suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), not related to
sports, each year. Of these people, 85,000 will suffer from the long term disabilities that
accompany a TBI. These are numbers that are, in all honesty, shocking. TBIs are caused by a lot
of of different injuries such as, but not limited to, open head injuries, deceleration injuries,
chemical/toxic injuries, hypoxia, tumors, infections, and strokes. These are common injuries that
occur in our nation, and they affect a lot of people, so it only makes sense that TBIs are an area
worthy of more government funding. The reasons are that there isnt enough knowledge about
TBIs, the long lasting consequences are emergent, and more funding can aid in prevention and
treatment.

Firstly, there isnt enough knowledge about TBIs. In an article in the Journal of Sports
Medicine, for example, it was discussed whether or not the number of sports-related concussions
would go up if these participants were given the current definition of concussion. What the
authors found is that the number of self-reported concussions were significantly higher after the
athletes were read the current, medically accepted definition of concussion. In 2008, the Third
International Conference on Concussions in Sports expanded the definition of concussion to
include a wide range of potential indicators, including headaches, visual disturbances, nausea,

dizziness, sleep disturbances, and memory problems. (Robbins 100) This is the definition that
was provided to the athletes that allowed them to understand more of what a concussion actually
was. If we had the funding to raise knowledge everywhere and with everyone, then we could
work on the next step, preventing the compelling consequences that will follow these traumatic
brain injuries.
These consequences that are sure to follow, can inhibit ones ability to live a functioning,
healthy life. Every year about 50,000 people die from TBIs that couldve possibly been avoided.
Some of these people had also been been previously hospitalized for their injuries. Out of
everyone who suffers a TBI, 2% will die from them. Many more people wont die, but they will
suffer the symptoms and debilitating consequences later in life. Some early symptoms of
traumatic brain injuries are memory impairment, executive dysfunction, depression, irritability,
impulse control problems, and aggression. These symptoms progress with the injury and can
cause damaging repercussions. In addition, anywhere from 1.6-3.8 million sports-related
concussions happen each year, but many more arent recognized or even reported. There is also
an even higher number of injuries that include the non sports-related injuries. If we had more
government funding, then the number of deaths and injuries could decrease significantly. This
would mean that less people would suffer the consequences that follow the injury. More
spending would also improve the American population as a whole, because it would decrease the
number of Americans living with a disability directly caused from a TBI. With these two points
in mind, the final step would be to prevent and treat.
As of right now, we do not have the necessary government funding to effectively treat
and prevent traumatic brain injuries. TBIs are plaguing our nation, but they dont have to. With
more government funding, this problem can almost be non-existent. With proper TBI education,

prevention can be more effective. Money would go into preventing, through education, but also
into the treatment of the effects of TBIs. This can make the suffering people much happier.
Overall, this would be a great improvement for the American people since just about everyone
knows someone who has suffered a TBI at some point.
In conclusion, TBIs are serious issues that can have a lot of daunting effects. To get rid of
these issues, we must have more government funding. The reasons that we need more funding
are that there isnt enough knowledge about the subject, the long-lasting consequences are
extremely damaging, and the funding can prevent and treat TBIs. As you can see, funding will
greatly improve many lives and can fix a problem that needs to be fixed.

Works Cited
Baugh, Christine M., Julie M. Stamm, David O. Riley, Brandon E. Gavett, Martha E.
Shenton, Alexander Lin, Christopher J. Nowinski, Robert C. Cantu, Ann C. Mckee,
and Robert A. Stern. "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: Neurodegeneration

following Repetitive Concussive and Subconcussive Brain Trauma." Brain Imaging

and Behavior 6.2 (2012): 244-54. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 23 Feb. 2015. Web. Feb. 2015.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. Feb. 2015.
Mckee, Ann C., Robert C. Cantu, Christopher J. Nowinski, E. Tessa Hedley-Whyte,
Brandon E. Gavett, Andrew E. Budson, Veronica E. Santini, Hyo-Soon Lee, Caroline
A. Kubilus, and Robert A. Stern. "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Athletes."
Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 68.7 (2009): 709-35. Web.
Stern, Robert A., David O. Riley, Daniel H. Daneshvar, Christopher J. Nowinski,
Robert C. Cantu, and Ann C. Mckee. "Long-term Consequences of Repetitive Brain
Trauma: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy." Pm&r 3.10 (2011): S460-467. Web.