TBI has been called a “signature injury” of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Thirty-three percent of all patients with combat-related injuries and 60% of the patients with blast-related injuries seen at Walter Reed Army Medical Center have sustained a TBI (Okie, 2005). Mild TBI or concussion is one of the most common forms of combat-related injury. Based on self-report data, approximately 15% of troops engaged in active combat in Afghanistan and Iraq may have suffered a mild TBI (Hoge et al., 2008). Additionally, a recent study of the Navy-Marine Corps Combat Trauma Registry revealed that battle-injured were more likely than those injured outside of battle to have multiple TBIs (Galarneau et al., 2008).
Statistics show TBI is an important public health problem. These numbers can help establish TBI prevention strategies, identify research and education priorities, and support the need for services among those living with a TBI. According to the Centers for Disease Control (2011), each year an estimated 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a TBI annually. Of them:
About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild (m)TBI. The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown. TBI is a common injury seen in military combat.