Background
There are 1.4 million hospital visits annually in England and Wales due to head injury, and of these around 200,000 people are admitted. Of these hospital visits, 85% (1.2 million) will be classified as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI – also known as concussion), with 10% moderate and 5% severe.
mTBI
Although classed as mild, mTBI leads to a disproportionate impact on future health, with 3 in 10 patients unable to work 12 months after their injury. The consequences of mTBI are profound, with many patients suffering long-term disability due to persistent headaches, imbalance, memory disturbance and poor mental health. We cannot yet identify those patients most at risk of these disabling consequences. This is a clear unmet need which would allow targeting of treatments to improve patient outcomes.
Mild TBI can be caused by physical impact to the head through accident, injury or sport, or due to the effects on the brain of shockwaves propagated by explosions – blast TBI.
We will test key biomarkers to allow identification of mTBI patients at risk of long-term health issues. Biomarkers need to be accurate, reproducible and practical to use in a clinical setting.
This research study aims to deliver a step change in the care of patients with mTBI and bring much needed advances in patient management.
