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Updated: May 18, 2026
Murine Model of Controlled Cortical Impact for the Induction of Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 16, 2019
Incidence of disability among children 12 months after traumatic brain injury
Frederick P Rivara1, Thomas D Koepsell, Jin Wang
1Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. fpr@uw.edu
Insights
Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children cause a significant disability burden, often requiring more services than severe TBIs. Prevention and intervention are crucial for reducing long-term TBI-related disability in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a significant cause of childhood morbidity.
- Understanding the long-term disability burden associated with pediatric TBIs is critical for effective healthcare planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the disability burden resulting from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children under 18 years.
- To compare disability outcomes between mild, moderate, and severe TBIs in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study was conducted using data from children treated for TBI or arm injury in King County, Washington (2007-2008).
- Disability was assessed 12 months post-injury using measures of service needs (educational, community-based) and standardized functioning/participation scores.
Main Results:
- Children with mild TBI required new services at approximately 10 times the rate of those with moderate or severe TBI.
- Population incidence of disability was substantially higher for mild TBIs (2.8-fold to 28-fold) compared to severe TBIs, based on outcome measure scores.
Conclusions:
- The majority of the disability burden from pediatric TBIs stems from mild injuries.
- Targeted prevention strategies for mild TBIs and interventions to mitigate post-injury disability are essential.
Objectives:
We examined the burden of disability resulting from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) among children younger than 18 years.
Methods:
We derived our data from a cohort study of children residing in King County, Washington, who were treated in an emergency department for a TBI or for an arm injury during 2007-2008. Disabilities 12 months after injury were assessed according to need for specialized educational and community-based services and scores on standardized measures of adaptive functioning and social-community participation.
Results:
The incidence of children receiving new services at 12 months was about 10-fold higher among those with a mild TBI than among those with a moderate or severe TBI. The population incidence of disability (defined according to scores below the norm means on the outcome measures included) was also consistently much larger (2.8-fold to 28-fold) for mild TBIs than for severe TBIs.
Conclusions:
The burden of disability caused by TBIs among children is primarily accounted for by mild injuries. Efforts to prevent these injuries as well as to decrease levels of disability following TBIs are warranted.
