TBI Drops in Afghanistan, Doctors Look for Cause

TBI Drops in Afghanistan, Doctors Look for Cause
Dec 19, 2012
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have suffered fewer traumatic brain injuries in Afghanistan in 2012 than in 2011. Records show that traumatic brain injuries among troops in Afghanistan have dropped from 645 per month in 2011 to 373 per month through the first 10 months of this year, according to the Armed Force Health Surveillance Center in Washington, DC.

The principal reason for the drop in TBI cases is certainly tied to the statistic that shows a reduction in the number of fatalities from improvised explosive devices. In 2012, 130 troops died from IED attacks compared to 252 last year and 368 in 2010, according to the website iCasualties.org, which tracks deaths by conflict and country.

The lower TBI numbers may also be due to the lower troop levels in Afghanistan, said Navy Cmdr. Kathleen Grudzien, chief of the surveillance office at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center in Washington. The brain injury center is the TBI operational component of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

However, she also suggested that the drop may also reflect a more aggressive approach to diagnosing and treating concussions before they turn into something more serious.
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