Even the most advanced helmets cannot protect brain from shock waves

MoD reveals scale of brain injuries among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans


Matthew Taylor
Wednesday January 16, 2008
The Guardian


Hundreds of troops returning to the UK from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering brain injuries caused by exposure to high-powered explosions or minor blows to the head, it emerged yesterday.
The Ministry of Defence said that since 2003 about 500 servicemen and women had suffered "mild traumatic brain injury" (mTBI) - which can lead to memory loss, depression and anxiety. The Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Louis Lillywhite, said that more troops could come forward as awareness of the condition increased. "We have put a significant amount of effort and resources into this area in order to get ahead of the game," he said.


One option was to put sensors in soldiers' helmets to measure blast waves as they travelled through the brain, he said. "The US are introducing sensors and we are considering doing that as well, although we are awaiting their results."

The US army says up to 20% of its soldiers and marines have suffered mTBI and the condition has been designated as one of four "signature injuries" of the Iraq war by the US defence department. According to US neurologists, mild brain injuries can occur when a soldier gets a blow on the head or is close to an explosion. The use of roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan has put troops at risk, and experts say that even the most advanced helmets cannot protect the brain from shock waves.
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