With the increased number of related casualties among Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, the Pentagon brain trust has directed considerable attention toward treatment and prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI). A recent study by the Congressional Research Service, however, pointed out that 80 percent of all TBI cases are not sustained while in combat. ‘Common causes of TBI include vehicle crashes, falls, sports and recreation activities, and military training,’ the report stated. The service-member population sustained 255,852 cases of TBI since 2001, according to the report. Of those cases, 212,741 were considered mild, 20,168 moderate, and 6,472 were severe and involved penetrating head injuries. Diagnoses of mild cases spiked between 2005 and 2007, when the Defense Department implemented more strident screening procedures. In deployment areas, diagnoses nearly doubled between 2010 and 2011 – again, because of an emphasis on diagnosis and treatment in those locales.
