- Every year, more than a million people attend hospital A&E departments in the UK following a brain injury.
- Of these, around 135,000 people are admitted to hospital each year as a consequence of brain injury.
- Head injury is the foremost cause of death and disability in young people.
- Approximately 50% of deaths in people under 40 are due to head injury.
- The age groups most at risk are 15-29 and over 65.
- Those aged between 15 and 29 are three times more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other group.
- Males are two or three times more likely to have a brain injury than females. This increases to five times more likely in the 15 - 29 age range.
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The above figures refer to Traumatic Brain Injuries, i.e. falls, assaults, road traffic accidents, industrial accidents. They do not include brain injuries acquired through illness, stroke or infection. What are the effects of brain injury?
- They may be physical : Loss of co-ordination, muscle rigidity, paralysis, epilepsy, difficulty in speaking, loss of sight smell or taste, fatigue and sexual problems.
- They may be cognitive : Problems with memory, attention and concentration, low tolerance of noisy or stressful environments, loss of insight and initiative.
- They may be to do with behaviour and personality : Anxiety, depression, loss of motivation, difficulty controlling anger, and Impulsiveness.
The ‘Silent Epidemic' Over the last two decades the number of people suffering from brain injuries has increased dramatically. More people are surviving severe brain injuries because of advances in medical knowledge and surgical techniques. People who have survived a brain injury generally have a normal life expectancy. This means that there are an ever-increasing number of people living with the long-term effects of brain injury. It is estimated that across the UK there are over 500,000 people (aged 16-74) living with disabilities as the result of head injury. ( Extrapolated using population figures from prevalence estimate for England of 431,000 people ). For further information please go to www.headway.org.uk 
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